asked the Minister for Justice whether he is yet in a position to announce a decision on the proposal to substitute a competitive system of examination for admission to the Garda Síochána as an alternative to the present system of selection by the commissioner.

The answer is in the affirmative. It is proposed, as an experiment, to select the next group of recruits by calling, in order of merit, the candidates who obtain the highest marks in a written examination. All candidates who are of good character and who comply with the physical requirements will be eligible to compete.