Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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1702. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the funding available to deliver a resilient public-safety radio capability for An Garda Síochána, interoperable with other blue-light agencies and with cross-Border partners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47197/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Responsibility for the 999/Emergency Call Answering System (ECAS) is under the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications. Section 58B of the Communications Regulation Act 2002 (the 2002 Act) enables the Minister for Communications to enter a contract for the operation of the ECAS. As Minister for Justice, I have no role in these matters.

It is my understanding that the ECAS is funded entirely through the Call Handling Fee. This is a fee payable by the presenting telephone network operator and/or the telephone call service provider whenever a customer on their network calls the ECAS.

Additionally, responsibility for the TETRA national communications network contract falls under the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. An Garda Síochána utilise the National Digital Radio Service (NDRS) which is shared by Security, Fire & Safety and Health agencies across Ireland. This service is owned and operated by Tetra Ireland under a contract managed by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.

There is also ongoing, close cooperation between An Garda Síochána and their colleagues in the Police Service of Northern Ireland to tackle cross-border criminality, including through the mechanism of the Joint Agency Task Force (JATF), which was established under the 2015 Northern Ireland Fresh Start Agreement.

The Task Force is producing results and helping keep people safe in really practical, visible ways through customs seizures, identifying victims of human trafficking and joint days of action against organised crime groups.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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1703. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the estimated financial cost to An Garda Síochána of the State visit by President Joe Biden in 2023. [47314/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will appreciate, high level visits to Ireland are of significant importance in the development and maintenance of our relations with other States. Such visits are to be welcomed and offer important opportunities to us, as a small outward-looking State, for positive engagement with partners.

In terms of the costs associated with the visit to Ireland of President Biden, the Deputy will appreciate that there is an obligation on the State to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of every visiting dignitary, in line with risk assessment. Similar measures and courtesies are as a matter of course also extended to Ireland, when the President and members of Government travel on official visits to other States.

The state visit of President Joe Biden took place over three days. He had engagements in Dublin, Louth and Mayo involving multiple public and crowd events which required one of the largest policing and security operations An Garda Síochána have ever mounted.

I am informed by An Garda Síochána that policing the visit of President Biden cost approximately €32 million in total.