asked the Minister for Justice under what circumstances private persons or firms are enabled to hire Gardaí Síochána for private duties; what fees are paid to the Garda authorities on such occasions; how many such hirings of Gardaí have taken place since June, 1957; and whether he considers that such a system of hiring is in the public interest.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Hiring of Gardaí for Private Duties.
16.
The services of members of the Garda Síochana are provided, on a repayment basis, at agricultural shows, sports meetings and the like when they are asked for by the organisers for the purpose of keeping approaches and passages clear and safeguarding persons and property from injury. These services are provided by Garda on duty only where personnel are available after the requirements of police duties have been fully met. In the four county boroughs of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, the services are given mainly by members of the force who are off duty and who volunteer for overtime.
The repayment arrangements provide for recoupment of travelling and subsistence expenses together with payment of a personnel charge based, according to rank, on the average cost of a member of the force. From the period 1st June, 1957, to 31st May, 1961, the services of members of the force have been provided on 1,140 occasions.
Having regard to the quasi-police character of the duties performed I consider that the continuation of the assistance given under these arrangements, which have been operating since the inception of the force, is not contrary to the public interest.
Do I understand the Minister to say that private protection is not permitted and that the Guards are supplied only when the public interest, control of crowds, and so on, requires them?
In the main, that would be correct. But I do not want to definitely say that a private request would be refused. I could not say that. I am not sure.
The point of my supplementary was that the whole objection I would have would be that monied people could secure protection because of being monied people and that the ordinary people could not get it because they had not the money. I am sure the Minister would not condone such a system. Is it, or is it not, true to say that money does not buy protection in the State?
Money buys a lot of things, as the Deputy knows.
Does it buy the Gardaí?
If protection is required by certain persons and if the police are available in their own time, as I explained, and they volunteer to act in that capacity, I cannot see any reason for questioning that.
Surely there would be a very good reason for a request for such protection from the Garda Síochána?
What would be the reason?
I do not know. Could the Minister say if the arrangements he has described would interfere in any case with the ordinary working hours of the members of the force?
No. I have stated very clearly that the police volunteer for this duty in their own time. They are paid at the rate of time and a half plus their other expenses such as, perhaps, travelling expenses.
These payments are made to the individual Gardaí where they have to work outside their ordinary working hours: is that what the Minister said?
I am not quite sure what the Deputy is aiming at.
I thought the Minister said that where a member of the Garda is required to work outside his ordinary working hours, he receives payment for that work.
If he were volunteering, it would, of course, have to be outside his ordinary hours of duty. His duties take up roughly eight hours a day. If some sports organisation, or some other body, requires the services of the Garda in the evening, a call would go out to find out the number prepared to undertake that duty. These volunteers know the payment they will receive and the number of hours they will have to work. There is a minimum number of hours.