Written answers

Tuesday, 19 January 2010

Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform

Departmental Expenditure

9:00 pm

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 577: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the savings outlined in the Report of the Special Group on Public Numbers and Expenditure Programmes which were accepted in Budget 2010 for his Department in tabular form; the savings which will be achieved in 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1260/10]

Photo of Dermot AhernDermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The recommendations in the Special Group Report (McCarthy) have been taken into account in the budget negotiations for 2010 for the Justice Sector. The proposed savings in the Report in respect of the Justice Sector were €136.4 million. In monetary terms a significant proportion of the recommendations (€84 million) related to reductions in payroll costs on items such as allowances payable to members of the Garda Síochána and the Prisons Service.

In common with all Departments, there will be reductions in payroll related provisions in 2010 to take account of the reductions in payroll rates and other factors. While final figures in this respect for the Justice Sector will be included in the Revised Estimate Volume (REV) for 2010, based on the reductions in payroll rates alone, it is expected that at a minimum the €84 million saving in payroll McCarthy Report will be achieved in 2010.

In addition to these payroll reductions, the budgets in a number of programme subheads have also been reduced to deliver the level of savings required by Government. A number of theses reductions are also in line with the recommendations of the McCarthy Report.

These amount to reductions of €6.92 million across a range of programme subheads which include Gender Mainstreaming, Graffiti Removal Operations, Equality Monitoring Consultative Committees, European Refugee Fund and Refugee Integration. The McCarthy Report recommended a total reduction of some €5 million in respect of these particular items.

A number of recommendations were made by the McCarthy Group on structural reform and rationalisation across the Justice and Equality Sector. Decisions in respect of many of these recommendations will be a matter for decision by Government in due course and expenditure reductions that may arise will be included in the budget for the Sector in future years.

While it was never the intention that the full €134 million reduction recommended in the McCarthy report would be delivered in 2010, significant progress in this regard has been made. This is through a combination of the recommendation in the report and other measures being taken as part of the Governments budgetary policy.

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