Mr. Drew Harris:

This is relevant to the Senator's previous point. Overtime involves hours worked beyond the working week. It is additional hours that individuals work. There is a welfare issue involved in that our staff cannot be expected to be in the workplace constantly. They should have proper periods of rest and time with their family and friends. The downside of overtime can be literally physical burnout and the attending issues that come with that.

With respect to the Senator's previous question, I want to make another point. The report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland refers a good deal to the rise of the work we are doing in respect of harm and it put that in the context of a multi-agency response, critical intervention teams and perhaps a co-location between us and other primarily healthcare and social service professionals. If that happens, that will change some of the culture. It will be a good thing if we are able to do that. Overtime is a budget matter, however, and if I overspend on that budget, it means something somewhere else will have to give.