Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move the following Revised Estimates:

That a sum not exceeding €546,339,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2025, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Justice, Probation Service staff and of certain other services including payments under cash - limited schemes administered by that Office, and payment of certain grants.That a sum not exceeding €6,158,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2025, for the salaries and expenses of An tÚdarás Póilíneachta agus Sábháilteachta Pobail and for the payment of certain grants.That a sum not exceeding €20,667,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2025, for the salaries and expenses of Fiosrú.

Last week, I received Government approval to sign a series of statutory instruments required to support the commencement of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024. I intend to commence the Act tomorrow, 2 April 2025. This will give full effect to the legislation the Oireachtas last year to underpin the important recommendations made by the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. The Act provides an extensive new governance and accountability framework for policing and community safety and ultimately supports the work of An Garda Síochána and others to keep the people of this country safe.

I am very pleased that we are able to introduce the necessary changes to ensure we have a modern and effective police service equipped for the times we live in but which also respects and upholds the traditions and service to the public and the community policing ethos on which it was founded. When I commence the Act tomorrow, we will have: a new Garda board; the Policing and Community Safety Authority, An tÚdarás Póilíneachta agus Sábháilteachta Pobail, which will replace the existing Policing Authority and the Garda Síochána Inspectorate; the Office of the Police Ombudsman, Fiosrú, which will be replacing the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC; a new office of the independent examiner of security legislation; and a new national office for community safety.

To ensure that these new and reformed bodies can operate effectively and independently in the manner intended by the Oireachtas, we need to establish two new Votes for the Policing and Community Safety Authority, and Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman. All of this will require some consequential changes to the Vote for the Department of Justice. Earlier today, my colleague the Minister, Deputy Chambers, received Government approval for the moving of this motion in the House to seek the approval of Members to establish the required Votes and make the necessary financial adjustments. This is vital to ensure that the necessary financial management and accounting arrangements are put in place for these new bodies from day one and that they have access to the necessary funds to enable them to carry out their important responsibilities and functions.

Ordinarily, the Dáil would refer this matter to the justice committee for its consideration. As the committee is yet to be established, however, I am asking Deputies to approve this motion to ensure there is no delay in the commencement of the Act and the standing up of these bodies with their new and enhanced functions. It is important for me to say there are no additional moneys being allocated today from what was set out in the published Revised Estimates for 2025. Instead, we are reallocating some of those funds to the correct Votes in the justice sector group in line with what the Act provides for.

I will now provide some detail on the two organisations we are dealing with. First, is the Policing and Community Safety Authority. That new authority is established under Part 4 of the Act, which also deals with the dissolution of the Policing Authority and the Garda Síochána Inspectorate. The oversight and inspection functions of these two bodies are being broadly merged into the new authority. This will strengthen and consolidate independent external oversight of An Garda Síochána. The authority will be responsible for overseeing and assessing, in an independent and transparent manner, the performance of An Garda Síochána as it relates to policing services. The objective is to support the effective provision and continuous improvement of such services to the benefit of the public's safety. It is also required to keep me, as Minister for Justice, informed of developments in respect of matters relating to policing services and to make recommendations to assist me in co-ordinating and developing policy in that regard.

As Deputies will be aware, the current authority has its own Vote, namely Vote 41. What is being proposed is that the new Policing and Community Safety Authority will take over that Vote and the existing funding already in place for the Policing Authority for 2025. This amounts to €4.636 million. As already stated, the inspection functions of the Garda Síochána Inspectorate are being broadly merged into those of the new authority. Therefore, it is proposed to reallocate the inspectorate's funding allocation for 2025 from the Department of Justice Vote - Vote 24 - which amounts to €1.522 million, to Vote 41.

As a result the total funding allocation for the Policing and Community Safety Authority for 2025 will be €6.158 million.

The second body being established is Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman. Part 5 of the Act reconstitutes GSOC as Fiosrú. The reformed police complaints body will also have an expanded remit and a new leadership structure. The current three-person commission is being replaced by single head of the organisation, the Police Ombudsman, supported by a deputy Police Ombudsman and a chief executive officer. Deputies may recall that resolutions were passed in the Houses last July to recommend Ms Emily Logan, the current GSOC commissioner as the first Police Ombudsman, following an open public jobs competition. She will be formally appointed to this role by President Higgins tomorrow when the Act is commenced. The public jobs competition to recruit the deputy Police Ombudsman is under way and I aim to be back in the House in the coming weeks with the necessary resolution to take the recommendation for appointment of a successful candidate.

To further reinforce its independence Fiosrú is being given greater financial independence through the establishment of its own Vote. Its new chief executive officer will be the Accounting Officer for that Vote. GSOC is currently funded from the Vote 24, the Department of Justice. The total budget allocation for GSOC in 2025 of €20.667 million is proposed to be reallocated from Vote 24 to the new fiosrú Vote, Vote 46. In summary I am today asking the House to establish the new Vote 46 for fiosrú and to reallocate €20.67 million from Vote 24 to this new Vote 46.

I am also asking the House to rename Vote 41 from the Policing Authority to An tÚdarás Póilíneachta agus Sábháilteachta Pobail, the Policing and Community Safety Authority, with the existing funding allocation of €4.636 million and to reallocate €1.522 million from Vote 24 to Vote 41 because of the merging of the functions of the Garda Síochána Inspectorate into the new authority. Vote 41 will have a total allocation of €6.158 million for 2025.

As a consequence of the changes outlined, Vote 24, Department of Justice, will have a total allocation of €546.339 million for 2025. I commend this motion to the House and ask it to approve these necessary financial arrangements to support the imminent commencement of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, the establishment of the policing and community safety authority and the reconstitution of GSOC as Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman.

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