§ 9. Mr. Peter DuncanTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on recruitment to the Northern Ireland police force. [33141]
§ Jane KennedyOver 150 new recruits, appointed on a 50 per cent. Catholic, 50 per cent. non-Catholic basis, have now taken up training posts with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and appointments are continuing. The first tranche of recruits will finish training in April 2002. It is encouraging to note that the most recent recruitment competition has attracted over 4,500 applicants, of whom an unprecedented proportion of 38 per cent. are Catholic.