Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

We know this. If the Office of the DPP is told it must cut its payroll costs by 3% then it must do so and there is no doubt about it. Of course the DPP will tell the Taoiseach how he will do so. I am not concerned about the accounting in the DPP's office or how it is reported to the Taoiseach or to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. I am concerned about the consequence in terms of the delivery of a service to the public.

The DPP states he will achieve a 3% saving but the consequences will be that gardaí who should be out patrolling the streets and detecting crime will be sitting in courtrooms prosecuting District Court cases which would otherwise be done by the DPP's office. The DPP stated this. I did not invent this. It is not the Opposition trying to get one over on the Taoiseach. We are not trying to get to the Taoiseach.

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