I move:
That a supplementary sum not exceeding £23,300,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment in the year ending 31 December 1997 for the salaries and expenses of the Garda Síochána, including pensions, etc.; for payments of compensation and other expenses arising out of service in the Local Security Force; for the payment of certain witnesses' expenses; and for payment of a grant-in-aid.
The Supplementary Estimate of £23.3 million represents an increase of 5.1 per cent over the original Estimate of £456.832 million. By far the most significant element in the Supplementary Estimate is the provision of an additional £16 million for Garda overtime. While I intend to concentrate on this issue, I want, first, to refer to the question of witness security.
Deputies will be aware from a number of recent high profile cases that the introduction of a witness security programme is a matter of extreme urgency in light of ongoing Garda operations. Witness security is a priority commitment in the Government's programme for tackling organised crime and since I have taken office I have wasted no time in pursuing the matter with the Garda authorities. A programme has now been drawn up and will operate in cases of serious or organised crime where a threat to the safety of the witness, his family members or associates is perceived to exist because of evidence which would be given in court.
This type of programme needs adequate financing and an amount of £250,000 has been provided in the 1998 Estimates for expenditure on this programme next year. However, I want to ensure that the programme is put on a clear financial basis immediately. For that reason a sum of £75,000 has been included in the Supplementary Estimate for this year in respect of formalising arrangements currently in place in connection with recent cases before the courts.
For a number of reasons the allocation of £25 million made by the previous Government in the 1997 Estimate for Garda overtime has proved not to be sufficient. The entire allocation of £25 million was exhausted by the end of July and total expenditure on Garda overtime in 1997 is likely to exceed £43 million. Because of savings of £2 million in other parts of subhead A.1, the net additional amount required is £16 million.
There has been a substantial increase in the demand on Garda operational resources and in the short term this demand can only be met by the use of overtime. The two biggest demands on overtime in 1997 arise from the investigation of serious crimes and measures taken to deal with the BSE crisis. Between them, they account for more than 50 per cent of all overtime.
There are a number of major ongoing investigations, including that relating to the murder of Veronica Guerin which has also spread out into other areas such as drugs and money laundering. I am sure that we are all pleased to see that the resources invested in this operation are paying dividends and I pay tribute to the dedication of the gardaí involved. To some degree, we have been the victim of our success. As a result of these investigations and because more judges are available to try cases, Garda overtime costs associated with criminal trials have also increased.
The BSE crisis in the United Kingdom posed a very significant threat to our exports of beef, the beef industry at home and the health of our citizens. It was vital to the national interest that overseas purchasers be reassured that infected cattle were not being smuggled into this State. A major Garda operation was put in place very quickly to secure the Border area from the threat of the illegal movement of cattle from Northern Ireland and this operation has been a key factor in protecting the image of Irish beef abroad. However, it has been a very costly operation. This year the operation cost £10 million in overtime expenditure alone.
In addition to criminal investigations and the BSE operation we have had other major operations, all of which entail overtime expenditure. Examples include Operation Dóchas, which has resulted in the seizure of millions of pounds of drugs, and Operation Boulevard, the policing plan for the north inner city, all aimed at preventing crime. These types of operation have been effective in lowering crime levels.
I might also mention Operation Lifesaver, launched in the Louth-Meath division on 14 July 1997. The operation comprises a crackdown on speeding, drink-driving, non-seatbelt wearing and dangerous driving. It involves the establishment of extra checkpoints, use of hand-held speed guns, undercover speed camera cars and the Gatso video van. The Gatso system is a high volume, mobile system recording the speed and other details of vehicles and has proved to be particularly effective in enforcing the law on speed limits and the wearing of seatbelts, so much so that a second system is to be purchased using funds provided by this Supplementary Estimate. We are all very aware of the number of deaths resulting from road deaths. Clearly more action is required and it will be taken.
I have outlined the major areas which have entailed increased Garda overtime. Undoubtedly, in most cases the associated Garda activity has been of real benefit and I think the average citizen is conscious of a more visible Garda presence. Nevertheless, the level of overtime expenditure in 1997 is extremely high. It has effectively trebled since 1994 and this is a matter of some concern. The nature of police operations is such that some level of overtime will always be required. Furthermore, if a crisis arises, the Garda has to respond, so the total expenditure on Garda overtime in any one year cannot be predicted in advance with any great certainty. The taxpayer is entitled to proper policing but he is also entitled to value for money.
I am of the view that a more focused approach to overtime expenditure is required. Measures must be taken to reduce the level of routine overtime. Legislative measures are being introduced to reduce the need for large numbers of gardaí to be present at court hearings. Furthermore, as I made clear on a number of occasions, we are recruiting additional gardaí. This will increase the total number of gardaí available for operational duties and should reduce the need for overtime. However, because of the time and resources required to fully train recruits, the increased recruitment will not begin to take full effect for a year or two.
Gardaí require adequate resources to carry out their work and Garda operations should not be constrained by unnecessary or overly bureaucratic controls on expenditure. Hence, those who have responsibility for planning operations also have a responsibility to account for their expenditure of public funds. Throughout the public service more emphasis is being placed on resource accounting and the use of management information systems. As part of that process, which must also apply to the Garda Síochána, l expect existing controls on overtime expenditure to be applied in a more active, comprehensive and flexible manner. The appropriate officers should know in advance what will be their overtime budget and allocate their resources to remain within that budget. They must be accountable for the management of the financial resources put in their hands. We must take full advantage of the improvements in management technology now available which allows for closer monitoring of expenditure and earlier intervention if targets are not being met.
Obviously, we cannot be too rigid on the question of overtime as we have to allow for special operations and unforeseen circumstances. However, when planning operations, people must be aware of the resource implications, and of the need to be able to justify any additional expenditure. If expenditure on special operations can be justified, l will not hesitate to seek the resources to fund it. However, the Exchequer is not a bottomless pit. Overall, l hope to see a more focused and proactive approach to the management of overtime expenditure. Senior Garda officers are not only policemen, they are also managers and, like all managers, they have to keep a critical eye on resources to ensure the best use is made of them.
I shall now briefly deal with the other areas where approval for additional expenditure over and above the original Estimates is sought. An additional £3 million is being sought for travel and subsistence. As with overtime, the increased Garda activity associated with the BSE and major crime investigations has led to greater demands for travel and subsistence. An additional £1.99 million is required in the area of transport. Thirty extra 4-wheel drive vehicles were purchased at a cost of £800,000. These vehicles will aid Garda members in the areas of crime and drugs, providing a highly visible, rapid response facility and resulting in a higher quality of service to the communities they serve. There were also additional running and maintenance costs associated with the increased size of the Garda fleet and extra activity in relation to BSE mobile patrols and investigations. Other areas where additional expenditure is required include the following:
On subhead A5, £1.417 million for purchase of computer equipment originally intended to be purchased in 1996, a contract with Andersen Consulting was signed in 1996 for the delivery of the design and development of the systems and software of the Garda IT strategy — the PULSE project. However, as the contract discussions were complex and protracted the signing of the contract took longer than anticipated. Because of these delays, savings of approximately £1.4 million were realised on the computer capital subhead in 1996, arising from the non-placement of equipment purchase contracts. The equipment costs involved rolled over into the current year giving rise to a considerable shortfall in moneys available for the PULSE project. The additional funds being sought are to make good these shortfalls — on subhead G, £750,000 for increased costs for superannuation; on subhead E, £700,000 for radio equipment, installation of closed circuit television — CCTV — systems and purchase of various specialised equipment — including the Gatso equipment mentioned earlier. As regards CCTV, the Garda Commissioner has established a CCTV Advisory Group to review the future of CCTV systems as an aid to policing. It is understood from the Garda authorities that to date applications have been received in respect of more than 20 locations for the installation of CCTV schemes. These will be considered by the advisory committee with a view to determining priority. Work is currently ongoing in installing a CCTV system in Tralee with preparation on the specification for the Finglas area under way.
Specialised equipment to be purchased under this heading includes the provision of new technology for the Garda mapping section to allow the Garda Síochána move from conventional field surveying techniques of crime scenes and plan drawing by hand, to electronic surveying devices and computer aided drawing systems.
On subhead A3, £700,000 is sought for a number of incidental expenses. There was a general increase in expenditure under this subhead which includes the expenses of doctors involved in Road Traffic Act cases, crime prevention initiatives, contributions to Interpol and Europol and contributions to youth diversion schemes. There is some increase due to the extension of some youth diversion schemes, a general increase in costing of schemes overall and the cost of a review of the neighbourhood watch schemes.
On subhead F, £500,000 is sought for the payment of VAT on the purchase of aircraft which originally was not expected to be due until 1998. The cost of the purchase of the fixed wing plane and helicopter for the Garda air support unit was spread over three payments — one each to be made in 1996, 1997 and the final payment in January 1998. Originally, it was envisaged that the full VAT payment would fall in 1998. However, this is now not the case, and the position is that as the second payments were made in August this year, VAT at 21 per cent is now outstanding on these payments.
On subhead A4, £300,000 is sought mainly for increased telephone costs. These costs are mainly due to new charges from Telecom Éireann which have resulted in an increase in local call charges. There has also been an increased use of mobile phones by the investigation units, leading to a similar increase in phone costs.
On subhead H, £54,000 witness expenses were slightly higher than expected. This increased expenditure is due to the increase in numbers of cases coming to trial this year.
There were savings in a number of subheads but they were not significant enough to affect the need for a supplementary estimate and I do not propose to go into any detail on them, unless specifically requested to do so.
