Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Question 38: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the status of his negotiations with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to the overrun on garda costs for the visits of Queen Elizabeth II and President Obama; the measures that have been proposed to make up that overrun; if he will guarantee that no services to the public will suffer as a result of this overrun; and the way he intends to enure that this will happen. [31363/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I have previously provided the House with details of the Garda costs that have arisen from the State visits of Queen Elizabeth and President Obama in May of this year. In that regard, Deputies will be aware that the relevant expenditure is approximately €36 million. I appreciate that this figure is substantial but I believe the visits provided this country with substantial benefits, which far outweigh the financial element involved. Additionally, unprecedented security measures had to be put in place and the safety of our visitors had to be the top priority.

Funding for the State visits was not provided for in the Garda Vote for 2011 because the visits had not been planned when the current Garda Estimates were finalised. As a result a significant unanticipated body of expenditure has arisen. I am currently engaging with my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, in regard to the financial arrangements to be made in respect of the visits. These contacts are ongoing and I expect they will conclude shortly. I can assure the Deputy that an important part of the discussion is to ensure that frontline Garda services will not be adversely affected when it comes to meeting the cost of the visits.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. On 19 July 2011, some three months ago, we received from the Minister an answer in regard to the breakdown of costs. It is our duty to support the Minister in his work. There is no doubt of the benefits which accrued from the visits and that the expenditure was necessary in the circumstances. It is three months on from when the Minister provided the House with a detailed breakdown. How many meetings has the Minister had with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, since then? Is he placing any specific demands on the Minister to make up the overspend from within existing Garda resources? In view of the benefit the visits had for the country, is he in a position to get an extra allocation from other Departments given the collective gain for the country?

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The reason the funding for the visits has not yet been settled is that, ultimately, it will depend on the overall position in the Garda Vote in 2011. That context is necessary to take into account all the expenditure and savings on the Vote during the year. This is a process where the relevant figures do not fully emerge until late in the year. We have now reached the stage where the final Garda Vote expenditure figures for 2011 are being established. It is obviously the right time to settle the issue, once the exact position becomes clear.

As I indicated, I expect that my discussions with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform will finalise the arrangements shortly. I hope that within a short few weeks the position will be absolutely clear.

It is my obligation, of course, to ensure that we deal with the matter in as financially efficient a manner as possible. If there are some savings in some part of the Garda Vote, that will, to some extent, offset some small part of the additional expenditure incurred.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I am supportive of the Minister in his efforts with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform but Garda Síochána directive 109/11, which was issued to stations in the past few weeks, will considerably reduce the amount of Garda overtime involved in serving District and Circuit Courts and may have the impact of delaying cases because of the reduction in that overtime. Is that an indication of the kind of measure being taken or is that separate from the need to make up the overspend on the visits?

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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It has no relevance to the visits. It is a question of ensuring that, generally speaking, the Department tries to comply with the overall financial envelope provided in circumstances where the Deputy's colleagues in government substantially underfunded a number of the Votes within the Department of Justice and Equality thus giving rise to particular difficulties. We are trying to ensure resources are used as carefully and as efficiently as is possible as we go through the year.