Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I understand that there were specific issues relating to the year in question. We all remember what was happening in the context of the drug-related feud at the time. There was a request made to the Department of Justice and Equality for an additional €44.2 million. There was a great deal going on at that time and serious issues had arisen. There is not one member of this committee who does not have friends or know people who are members of An Garda Síochána. In the main, they are great, hardworking people and there were serious concerns around pay and conditions at that time. Those issues were dealt with and that is not the point I am making. We had an issue that was building from 2014 to 2017 and the overtime bill trebled in 2017. In fairness, the Garda Commissioner has made comments on overtime in the past six months and has referred to the need to manage the budget. The committee obviously respects that but the process by which we manage operational areas that are demand-led is important. There are issues arising in Drogheda at the moment and Brexit has the potential to give rise to increases in demand. This committee looks at expenditure retrospectively but we also look at processes. How do we ensure that there will not be elasticity vis-à-visthe Department, with An Garda Síochána submitting repeated requests for additional funding based on demand requirements? Can we actually do that? An Garda Síochána cannot predict what is going to happen next and neither can I. How do we ensure that there are processes in place to ensure that additional expenditure is justifiable? Overtime is necessary but there must be processes in place to prove that.

The information pack provided to us today shows that one garda earned €76,000 in overtime. Obviously, that is extraordinary and we understand that. Once we know that the processes are in place to allow for elasticity, with the Department seeking supplementary budgets and so on, that is the key issue. To see a trebling in three years is alarming although I respect what Mr. Twomey said by way of explanation. There are issues arising in Drogheda at the moment but how do we ensure that there are processes in place to justify additional spending?