Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for the delay. I am afraid I was engaged in dealing with other matters.

I thank the committee for making time available today to consider my request for a Supplementary Estimate for the Garda Síochána and Courts Service Votes. I am pleased that on this occasion there is no requirement for additional funding from outside the justice Vote group. In effect, therefore, this is no more than a technical rebalancing of year-end budgets between Votes within the justice Vote group. Additional sums are being sought for the Garda and Courts Service Votes of €8.5 million and €5 million, respectively, which will be funded in total, with a bit to spare, from projected savings of approximately €17 million in the case of the justice and equality Vote and in the region of €1 million in each of the prisons and Property Registration Authority Votes.

I am very pleased that the justice group of Votes has come in on budget in the current financial year, despite the many pressures on the sector. It is a tribute to management across the sector that it has been innovative and resourceful in managing resources within budget and yet delivering an excellent service. This, of course, did not happen by accident and the reform and cost containment measures implemented are having the desired impact from an organisational and budgetary perspective. As I have repeated on many occasions, there is no magic formula to address the very difficult position in the nation's finances and it is incumbent on all of us to continue to work smartly and prudently to make the best use of the resources available.

Turning to the Garda Vote, the net additional requirement of €8.5 million arises after a number of overruns under some headings have been offset by the reprioritisation of expenditure in other areas. The Commissioner, as Accounting Officer, has been aware of the pressure points within the Vote from early on in the year and taken the appropriate measures to address emerging overruns by reorganising budgets within the Vote. However, in view of the many challenges within the Garda Vote and, in particular, the very high ratio of pay and pensions to other expenditure, there is a limit to the options available.

The superannuation budget was set this time last year. As members of An Garda Síochána can exercise the option to retire on full pension on reaching 50 years of age after 30 years' service, it is difficult to forecast definitively the actual number of retirements in a particular year. As a consequence, while provision was made for approximately 375 lump sum gratuity payments in the current year, the likely number of actual payments is expected to be in the region of 470, which gives rise to a shortfall of about €8.5 million.

A significant proportion of this shortfall is being met from within the Garda Vote, with approximately €1.5 million being funded from elsewhere within the Vote group. I am very pleased that the Supplementary Estimate will allow the Commissioner to complete the purchase of 170 new vehicles for the Garda transport fleet. An additional €3 million is being assigned for the purchase of these vehicles. This means that a total of 212 new vehicles will have been acquired in 2012. This is a substantial investment in the Garda fleet, despite the difficult budgetary environment in which we find ourselves.

A further significant element of the additional €8.5 million relates to the annual cost of the dedicated digital radio system used by An Garda Síochána. The provision of this service is based on an outsourced service provision model and the annual charges arise under a contract negotiated by the Department of Finance with the service provider. Together with the provision of additional transport, this shows that the members of An Garda Síochána are well supported in terms of the resources and technology they require to carry out their many roles within the community on behalf of all of us.

There is a technical adjustment required within the Vote to offset receipts from fixed charge notices arising from the operation of the Go Safe road safety camera contract against the outsourced cost of providing this service. The key objective of this road safety initiative is to reduce road deaths and bring about improvements in driver behaviour. I am pleased to say that all the evidence points to the success of this measure. It is important to note that the service provider is paid according to the level of service provided, and the number of speeding drivers detected by the service provider has no effect on the level of the payment.

While An Garda Síochána retains overall responsibility for all aspects of road traffic enforcement measures, including the scheduling of speed monitoring and survey sessions, the fact that the actual monitoring sessions are being carried out by private sector service providers has freed up significant Garda resources for other essential policing work. It can be frustrating to hear some politicians, those within the media and others nostalgically looking back on a policing model which served the State over 50 years ago. We live in a different age and policing demands are consequently also different. Criminals are mobile and dangerous and have little regard for each other or broader society. The Garda Síochána needed to react accordingly and I must compliment it on the way in which it unselfishly combats serious crime every day.

With the co-operation and agreement of the representative associations, new Garda rosters are in place which more efficiently match resources with areas and times where needs are greatest. There are many further initiatives in place to target particular types of crime and work is continuing on plans to update and modernise approaches to policing on an ongoing basis. While the financial reality does not allow for recruitment at this particular time, we still have more than 13,400 serving Garda members - supported by more than 2,000 civilian employees - and a Garda Reserve force which currently has approximately 1,000 members. The Government will not waver in its support of An Garda Síochána. The commitment of gardaí of all ranks to the reform agenda is acknowledged and there is much more which can be achieved, despite the decrease in the budgetary resources available.

A Supplementary Estimate requirement of €5 million arises in the case of the Courts Service Vote. The major element of this requirement relates to the projected shortfall of €5 million in fee income, which will give rise to a deficit in appropriations-in-aid of €4 million. The main reason for this decrease is directly related to the economic downturn and the negative impact this has had on certain activities which generate court fee income. The receipts target for court fees in 2012 was set at almost €48.5 million. The receipt level in 2011 was €45.2 million and, following the introduction of two new fee orders in August 2011 and April 2012, it was estimated that these measures would generate a further €3 million to €4 million in fees annually. Unfortunately, any gains have been undermined by a significant fall-off of up to 20% in the fee income from special exemption orders. These orders are required by the entertainment and bar sectors and the decline can be related directly to the economic downturn.

It is now projected that the outturn from court fees in 2012 will be in the region of €43.5 million, a shortfall of almost €5 million. A surplus of almost €1 million in respect of other court receipts and pension related deductions is available for offset but this still leaves a shortfall within appropriations-in-aid of €4 million. In addition, there is a requirement to provide €1 million from elsewhere in the Vote group to meet additional costs associated with the public private partnership contract entered into in respect of the Criminal Courts of Justice. The extra costs have arisen mainly due to an annual inflationary adjustment. The additional provision will ensure that the Courts Service can meet its contractual commitments in relation to the PPP and that the repayment schedule is kept on track. There are various overruns and savings which offset each other, mainly under administrative headings within the Vote, and these will be adjusted as part of the Supplementary Estimate arithmetic.

The savings to offset the overrun on the Garda and courts votes are coming from elsewhere within the justice Vote group. The prisons and Property Registration Authority Votes will have relatively small surrender balances of approximately €1 million each. The bulk of the savings and the reprioritisation of expenditure are coming from within the justice and equality Vote. It is projected that the surrender balance will be in the region of €17 million. At least €5 million is accounted for by additional receipts - appropriations-in-aid - generated from sources such as the Property Services Regulatory Authority and nationality and citizenship certificate fees. In addition, there is a saving of almost €2.5 million in capital expenditure pending a final decision on the building of new premises for the State Laboratory. There are savings of approximately €2 million in the immigration area, including direct provision accommodation costs, and €3 million in savings in respect of certain costs associated with the commissions and special inquiries subhead. There are also savings of approximately €2.8 million in respect of the Probation Service subheads and €2 million in the administrative areas of the Department.

I assure the committee that a very tight rein is kept on expenditure within the justice Vote group and where, for whatever reason, expenditure does not arise in a particular year, this money will be used wisely and effectively across the sector. Alternatively, it will be surrendered to the Exchequer and put to beneficial use elsewhere. This is effectively the background to the Supplementary Estimates in question. On that note, I recommend the Supplementary Estimate for the Garda Síochána and Courts Service Votes to the committee and I will be happy to discuss any issues which members may wish to raise.