Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach has said he shares the concerns about this matter and needs to understand it a bit better. He has said he would have assumed that Garda management knew about these arrangements. This instruction was issued by an assistant commissioner on the basis that "the Garda Budget for 2017 has been exhausted". I think we need a better explanation of how this has happened within our security and policing system.

There is an issue at the heart of the administration of security and justice in the country. Something like this should not happen if sufficient funds are available. This needs to be resolved and we need to get answers because people's fears can be heightened in situations like these. The original question I asked the Taoiseach was whether an Garda Síochána had already factored the Supplementary Estimate, which will be provided tomorrow, into its budget and yet still finds itself short. It says here that much of the additional Supplementary Estimate is required as a result of the Labour Court agreement. Overtime is involved, but the cost associated with the implementation of the Labour Court agreement in respect of Garda pay is also a contributory factor as are the off-setting of additional requirements, departmental underspends and so on. It is not yet clear to me that what will be provided in the Vote tomorrow will cover the entirety of what An Garda Síochána needs. Otherwise I presume the assistant commissioner would not have given the instruction he gave to all stations and ranks across the Dublin metropolitan region.

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