Mr. Seamus McCarthy:

The 2013 appropriation accounts for the Courts Service - Vote 22 - received a clear audit opinion. They record gross expenditure by the service of €104.6 million in 2013. This represents a 2.9% reduction in expenditure year on year. I have provided a graphic to illustrate the composition of Courts Service expenditure in 2013.

Salaries accounted for 47% of expenditure, with total payroll costs amounting to €49 million. There were 927 full-time equivalent posts at the end of 2013, down from 945 at the end of 2012.

The most significant programme spend relates to payments under the Criminal Courts of Justice PPP deal. These are in the form of monthly unitary or combined payments which cover the cost of facility availability, financing, insurance and the provision of specified facility maintenance and support services for the users of the complex. The charge in 2013 amounted to a total of €20.2 million which represents an 11% reduction year on year. This includes the effect of a rebate of €566,000 arising from a periodic review of insurance costs, as provided for in the PPP contract.

Programme expenditure under the Vote also includes spending on capital works for other courthouses. A provision of €3.9 million was made for such spending in 2013 and the outturn was €2.5 million. Note 3 explains that the underspend was due to delays in commencing works on a number of courthouse projects, including a delay in commencing preparatory works for a planned PPP bundle to provide new or refurbished courthouses at seven locations.

On the receipts side, there were appropriations-in-aid amounting to €46.8 million, of which €42 million relates to fees charged for various categories of court transactions. In addition, the Courts Service collected court fines, totalling €11.7 million, which were remitted to the Exchequer. A further €7.6 million was collected and remitted to the Revenue Commissioners and a number of other State bodies. This mainly comprised fines imposed in cases prosecuted by the Revenue Commissioners and fees paid for licensing applications.

Members of the committee may wish to be aware that, as provided for by law and under the rules of the superior courts, the Judiciary oversees the investment and management of court funds. They include funds held on behalf of wards of court and awards to minors arising from certain court proceedings. These funds, amounting to around €1.3 billion at end 2013, are not accounted for in the appropriations account for the Courts Service. Annual financial statements for these funds are produced by the Office of the Accountant of the Courts of Justice and audited by an audit firm appointed by that office. They are not within my remit.