Civilian drivers are to take over duties carried out until now by gardai, including driving prisoners from stations to courts and delivering summonses.
Some 30 civilians are being recruited into the Garda as part of a "civilianisation" drive to reduce the work by gardai on what management regards as routine duties.
While the civilian drivers' duties include routine duties carried out by the Transport Details Section in Garda Headquarters, it is not clear if they will drive government ministers and other State figures.
The civilian drivers' job specification says the "principal tasks" will include driving escorted prisoners, conveying dispatches, driving foreign police, distributing summonses, conveying the Garda Band and driving community policing officers. The drivers shall carry out "any other driving du ties as directed by Superintendent Transport or any other persons to whom authority may be delegated generally from time to time".
The Superintendent (Transport) has responsibility for the pool of 60 gardai who drive Government ministers and such VIPs as the President, Attorney General, Director of Public Prosecutions and former Taoisigh.
There are another 42 gardai involved in full-time driving duties in the Transport Details Unit in Garda HQ in Phoenix Park. Some 14 of these are on full-time duty with the unit and the other 28 are on temporary secondment from stations throughout Dublin. It is understood the civilian drivers are intended to replace the officers on secondment.
The terms of employment for the civilian drivers state they will be subject to rules governing civil servants and they shall not stand for election to the Oireachtas or European Parliament. Their salary levels are below those of gardai, starting at £197.50 a week rising to £209.95 a week after 11 years.
Increased civilianisation of work carried out until now by gardai was part of the productivity agreement under negotiation with the Garda Representative Association (GRA).
Agreement of the pay deal for the 9,000 officers of garda ranks has still to be settled after the members of the GRA rejected a Government pay offer in a ballot two weeks ago.