McDowell to shelve Garda recruitment drive

The promised recruitment of 2,000 extra Gardai is likely to be shelved until at least 2004.

The Minister for Justice says estimates for next year mean that overtime for Gardai and prison officers will also have to be curtailed.

Minister Michael McDowell says it is now up to the Department of Finance to find the money if the extra Gardai are to be recruited.

"The way the system works is that I have to bring a proposal to Government and I have to argue for that and I don't know what the competing demands will be on extra expenditure.

"I don't want in any way to anticipate budget day out turns.

"It is up to me to fight my corner and it is up to Government to make its own decisions about competing demands for available extra expenditure."