Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Regarding the overall investment in Garda ICT, not just relating to the ANPR, the mobility project, €80 million has been allocated to upgrade the mobile devices. I am referring to cars but also to technology to ensure everything can be interconnected and to reflect the fact that we have now just joined the Schengen Information System, SIS II. Even though we only joined it on 15 March, there have already been great benefits. I am getting that response back from An Garda. On the ANPR, 99 vehicles are currently equipped. The information is that, because of the technical and design specifications, many of the road policing vehicles cannot accept the technology currently in use. This will take time to change.

On the mobile devices, which I failed to mention in my previous answer, we have more than 2,200 front-line mobile devices. I am referring to the mobile stations that have been deployed as part of the overall roll-out. They have been allocated to a range of operational Garda members, including those in road policing. The regular units, community police, detectives and drug units are also included. It is important to the work they are doing. Three hundred of the devices are being deployed to complete the roll-out of community policing. That was before the end of last year. There were 500 additional devices deployed in early 2021. This is what is being planned for this year. There is an increase year on year. Given that we have 2,200 devices, an increase of 500 this year is quite significant. The scope of overall ICT allocation, of €80 million, extends considerably beyond the mobility project, the ANPR, with a view to the overall restructuring of the policing technologies to make sure they are as interconnected as possible. As the Deputy mentioned, it is a matter of bringing ourselves up to speed on the technology in other jurisdictions.

On the compensation and witness security programme, the position is like that on any budget in any given year in that sometimes there is significant funding in some areas and sometimes there is not. The compensation varies from year to year, however, depending on a number of factors, including the quantum of awards given out. In some of the past few years, compensation budgets have been diverted elsewhere. If we look at the budget of 2020, we see a figure of €16.6 million for compensation, while €12 million was spent. In budget 2021, we have allocated €16.6 million. We will have to see what will be spent. It really varies depending on the compensation awarded or what is required for witness security at the time in question. As we know, we do not always get exactly what we asked for in a budget request but it is very positive when we do and when see a significant increase of the type in question.