Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Further details will be announced by my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection, today.

Justice

In the justice area, the safety and security of our citizens is fundamental. We have committed to increasing the number of gardaí in the force to 15,000. Today’s Estimates support this through an allocation of an additional €28 million for An Garda Síochána, as part of a total package of measures of €68 million, bringing total funding for justice and equality to over €2.5 billion.

The Government is committed to a five year reform and investment strategy for An Garda Síochána, under which a phased increase in resource levels will go hand-in-hand with the implementation of a far-reaching programme of reform. The Tánaiste will introduce an accelerated programme of Garda recruitment, with 800 new gardaí to be hired and trained in 2017. There will also be accelerated recruitment of civilian staff into An Garda Síochána to help to address capacity shortfalls and free up a large number of desk-bound trained officers for front-line duties. Funding is also included in the allocation to support the continuation of key operations by An Garda Síochána in response to gangland and rural crime.

Sport and the arts

Large spending areas such as social protection, health and education are, of course, of vital importance and it is right that the majority of the Exchequer’s resources should focus on these areas. However, it is also true that we should support more diverse sectors and the budget sees important developments for the arts and sports sectors. Nobody could be anything but impressed at the tremendous series of events that took place in 2016 to mark the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. This could not have happened without the talent and vibrancy of Ireland’s artistic community who in 2016 were granted €49 million to stage such an impressive programme of cultural events. That is why a significant portion of that funding will remain within the arts budget for 2017 to ensure this legacy lives on.

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