Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

As outlined by the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, the pre-budget Estimates set out the baseline estimated cost of continuing the current level of public services in 2008. In the justice area, as in others, it is important to take stock of the scale of this expenditure, as well as the depth and breadth of services being delivered. In money terms, the pre-budget provision for the justice sector is just over €2.6 billion, an increase of 7% over 2007 and a rise of 26% since 2005. These figures sound impressive on their own, but I completely agree with the Tánaiste's emphasis on what is actually being achieved with these resources, rather than their magnitude alone. We are all striving to get value for money for the public and the only way we can maximise this is to switch our focus from inputs and outputs to the impacts and outcomes that this financial commitment actually delivers. That is the major change, one which I welcome, which this Government has made to the Estimates process.

There is plenty of evidence of the return we are getting on that investment in the justice sector. A whole spectrum of significant achievements have been made possible, notably the expansion in Garda numbers, the provision of additional prison spaces, improvement of court facilities, extensive funding in the equality sector, modernisation of land registration and mapping, and the development of immigration and asylum services.

Since the end of 2005 there has been an increase of more than 10% in the attested number of gardaí, which now stands at 13,500. The number of civilian staff in the Garda Síochána has increased by 48% over the same period, releasing gardaí for frontline duties. As the Tánaiste has indicated, Garda staffing is one of the areas where the Government is providing additional numbers above the overall limits on public service recruitment. This reflects the Government's focus on key priority needs in frontline and essential services. The combination of recruitment and civilianisation will allow for the continued implementation of high profile campaigns such as Operation Anvil. It will also enable the Commissioner to devote resources to a range of other policing needs in the community.

In overall financial terms the Garda pre-budget Estimate stands at €1.522 billion which compares with €0.9 billion just five years ago. This investment on behalf of the public has made it possible to extend and transform every aspect of the resources available to the force. The Garda fleet has been modernised, national digital radio is being rolled out and IT infrastructure enhanced. A dedicated Garda traffic corps has been put in place as a key component of the Government's road safety strategy and is on target to reach its planned strength of 1,200 in 2008.

Looking in more detail at the pre-budget figures for the Garda Vote in 2008, increased funding is being made available to support the continued programme of maintenance and improvement works at Garda stations throughout the country and to increase the provision of specialist communications equipment. The allocation for clothing and accessories is also up as anti-stab and ballistic vests are delivered to serving members for their protection in frontline duties.

In parallel with the additional resources provided in recent years, major reforms of the Garda Síochána have taken place, including the appointment of a Garda inspectorate and the work of the advisory group on Garda management and leadership development. Deputies will also be aware that a new civilian head of administration at deputy commissioner level has been appointed. All of these changes should support gardaí in dealing with the complex challenges they face and ensure that we get the best return for the public's investment in terms of effective policing in our communities.

The pre-budget Estimate for the courts is up 5% on the 2007 Estimate and again we can point to specific and important service enhancements that have been delivered by the courts. Waiting times for trials at the Central Criminal Court are less than half of what they were four or five years ago. The High Court has reduced waiting times and a new commercial court has been established in the High Court which has made it possible to reduce processing times from two years to 18 months since late 2004. These service enhancements are being reinforced in 2008 with €2 million funding provided for support staff for additional judges appointed in 2007.

On the prisons Vote, the pre-budget Estimate is up 9% over 2007 and includes a provision of €5 million for the full-year costs of a range of measures introduced in this year to combat organised criminal activities in prisons. These include an additional 178 personnel as part of an operational support group specialised in searching for illicit materials and a range of other measures to face down the threat from organised crime.

Turning to the justice Vote, a number of areas stand out in particular where the additional resources assigned in recent years are being carried forward and augmented for 2008. Funding for the Irish youth justice service, for example, is up 31% as the full-year cost of child detention schools are included, as is all youth diversion funding. The new service brings responsibility for young offenders together under one roof for the first time and we are now seeing the practical impact of this. What is under way is more that just a re-ordering of accounting responsibilities. A badly-needed programme of rejuvenation for youth detention and training facilities is under way and the number of youth diversion projects has been increased to 93, with more to come.

The probation service has also benefited in recent years from additional resources and the pre-budget outlook funding for next year is increased by 9%. A substantial programme of strategic restructuring and refocusing is under way in the probation service, with 71 additional staff being recruited.

Funding for the immigration and asylum area is up 5% in these pre-budget Estimates. While the emphasis a number of years ago was on the asylum process, and this remains important, the range of services provided in this area is now far broader as we meet the needs arising from significant increases in legal migration. As part of the establishment of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service, extended services have enabled the handling of 64,000 visa applications per annum and dedicated visa offices have recently been set up in New Delhi, London, Abuja and Cairo. These are in addition to those established by the Department in Moscow and Beijing and allow for speedier and more effective processing of applications internationally.

Funding across the Department's various equality measures is increased by 13% in these pre-budget figures. This builds on the sizeable investment which has been made in promoting a more tolerant and equal society, in addressing, inter alia, specific issues in the areas of gender, disability and interculturalism. The increase for 2008 reflects in particular the substantial allocations under the NDP to promote gender equality and in the implementation of the national women's strategy.

Funding for measures to combat violence against women is among the areas to benefit considerably under the national development plan. This latter area represents another challenge requiring a whole Government approach and to achieve this objective, the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence, Cosc, was established in June of this year. I am very pleased to say that there is now in prospect a dedicated, resourced office at Government level with the key responsibility of ensuring the delivery of a well co-ordinated response to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

Turning briefly to the pre-budget Estimates for capital funding, as the Tánaiste has outlined, the overall provisions in advance of budget day decisions are broadly the same as for 2007. In the justice sector this amounts to €155.9 million and, as with the current expenditure allocation, it is important to take stock of what will be delivered with the continuation of these capital programmes. Some €29 million is allocated towards the courthouse refurbishment programme, which has seen 40 court venues refurbished around the country since 2000. The prisons capital programme is continued with funding of €31.8 million allocated for 2008. This programme has initiated the provision of 450 additional spaces over the past two years, some of which are in place, and the remainder will come on stream in the coming months. Substantial capital funding of €8 million is also provided in 2008 towards a joint project with Dublin City Council to build a state-of-the-art facility for the State pathology service.

Capital funding is included for the continued implementation of the digital mapping project in the Land Registry, which along with the other changes taking place under the aegis of the Property Registration Authority, is set to completely transform the way in which land is registered and ownership transferred. In addition to the capital projects directly funded from the justice Votes in 2008, it is also important to note the two very major PPP projects under way in the justice sector. Work began last year on the new criminal court complex with a view to it being operational in 2010. On an even larger scale is the Thornton project, on which work is intended to commence next year,

I will conclude my remarks by reiterating my intention to ensure we get the best possible return for the public's investment in the justice sector. This will require careful management of the resources allocated and a focus on value for money. However, the snapshot of justice sector activity I have outlined today should give a good indication of what can be delivered with these resources.

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