Good afternoon, Chair. I thank members for making time to consider these Supplementary Estimates. I am joined from the Department by Ms Yvonne Furey, assistant secretary, Ms Niamh Merrigan, assistant principal, and Mr. Aonghus O'Connor, principal officer.
On Vote 20, budget 2024 reflects the commitment of the Government to ensuring our communities are safe and that An Garda Síochána has the resources required to operate effectively. The budget provided by the Government to the Garda Commissioner continues to increase to unprecedented levels, with an allocation of more than €2.25 billion for 2024. This Supplementary Estimate comprises a gross expenditure requirement of €66.88 million, which is offset by a projected surplus in appropriations-in-aid receipts of €29 million. This gives a net additional requirement of almost €37.88 million for the Garda Vote.
The supplementary funding request is principally driven by an additional €61 million for Garda overtime to increase high-visibility policing and serious crime investigations across the State. We are committed to building safer, stronger communities. The additional overtime expenditure has arisen mainly due to the investigation of organised and serious crime activities, high-profile fatal incidents as well as a particular focus on antisocial behaviour, public order, assaults and drug-related crimes. Payroll and superannuation costs account for over 80% of the Garda Vote. In the region of €29 million relating to additional superannuation contributions is offsetting expenditure in other subheads, including for certain inflationary costs.
The subheads with the largest underspends include clothing and accessories, at €8.4 million. This relates to a timing issue for the procurement of thousands of units of new body armour, but that is concluding. Some €16.5 million under superannuation is the result of a welcome lower than expected number of retirements and issues relating to the migration of Garda pension payments to the National Shared Services Office. The third such subhead is the capital building programme. This is due to timing of projects, offset in part by the Rosslare Europort project. The capital underspend has been offset by increased capital spend on fleet and aircraft.
The capital spend has been reorganised. Investment of €6 million in fleet will allow An Garda Síochána to purchase approximately 100 new vehicles of different types and capabilities, including public order vans and high-powered vehicles for units dealing with serious crime. This investment will also allow the Garda to purchase two water cannon to enhance public order tactical capacity for delivery in 2025. There is €8 million for aircraft. As colleagues may be aware, a new replacement helicopter is expected to become operational next year. This funding will support the replacement of a second helicopter in Garda air support units. There will also be an element of capital carryover. The exact value will be determined later in the year.
We have seen three classes of recruits entering Templemore to begin their training as gardaí in the year to date, with another cohort scheduled to start in December. I have prioritised significant new measures to boost recruitment by increasing the training allowance for gardaí to €354 per week. This is almost a doubling of the payments in the past 12 months. Other measures have included increasing the entry age from 35 to 50 and raising the mandatory retirement age to 62. I am also pleased a recent Garda Reserve competition saw significant interest, with 1,800 people applying. Budget 2025 provides for continued growth and ongoing recruitment throughout next year and provides funding for between 800 and 1,000 new trainees to enter the Garda College.
We all recognise that the safety and security we have are built on the work done every day by dedicated gardaí and how their visible presence on our streets makes us feel safe. A key priority is to ensure An Garda Síochána is a leading and modern police service fit for the digital age. This is why I have continually invested in the tools, technology and resources available to the organisation.
A net supplementary estimate of €54 million is required in 2024 in respect of the prisons Vote. I also provided substantial funding of €79 million in budget 2025. The supplementary budget for 2024 comprises a gross expenditure requirement of €56 million, which is offset by a projected surplus in appropriations-in-aid of €2 million, giving a net additional requirement of just under €54 million for the prisons Vote. The budget provided by Government to the Irish Prison Service has increased to unprecedented levels, with an allocation of €500 million gross spend in 2024. The additional requirement mainly arises due to the impact of additional prisoner numbers, which currently stand at 5,055, and inflation in the cost of providing services to prisoners.
In total, it is expected there will be an overrun on the payroll subhead of approximately €19 million. This is mainly due to the additional staffing and hours needed to maintain staffing levels, for increased prisoner numbers and for escort requirements to court and hospitals. Some 304 staff have been recruited in the year to date. This includes 200 recruit prison officers and 104 professional and clerical grades. More recruit prison officer classes are due to come on stream before the end of the year. Budget 2025 provides for a further 150 prison staff and funds 130,000 additional hours. Under budget 2025, a €37.5 million additional staffing package was secured for the Irish Prison Service. This will support additional staff recruitment which will positively impact prisoner access to rehabilitation services, training and other services.
One of the larger areas of overspend in the non-pay current expenditure subheads across the Vote relates to Prison Service medical and catering. These costs again are directly linked to inflationary cost pressure and the impact of increased prisoner numbers.
An additional €9 million in capital spend has been allocation to the Prison Service in the current year, following which the total capital spend will be €39.5 million for 2024. This will rise to €53 million next year, with the vast bulk being assigned to estates.
I am very conscious of the need to deal with challenges placed on the prison environment and the Irish Prison Service due to the increased prison population. It is essential we have adequate capacity in our prisons. The capital budget for the Prison Service will increase by over 70% in 2025 as part of the plan to deliver 1,100 extra spaces between now and 2030. This represents one of the fastest ever expansions of prison capacity in Ireland. Works are in progress to deliver 150 of those spaces by the end of this year. To fund these plans, I secured capital funding of €159 million for the years 2024 to 2026.
There is a projected surplus in appropriations-in-aid receipts of approximately €2 million. This is mainly accounted for by additional superannuation contributions. This has reduced the net Supplementary Estimate requirement.
I reiterate the Government’s stated intention to establish the Irish Prison Service as a fully-fledged State body with a non-executive board and other best-practice governance and support structures. The approved general scheme of the Irish Prison Service Bill proposes to establish the Prison Service and its director general on a statutory basis with defined functions, including providing safe and secure custody, upholding human rights and supporting prisoner rehabilitation. The scheme has been referred to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel for the purposes of drafting and has undergone pre-legislative scrutiny by the joint committee. I again thank members for their consideration of the scheme. Their recommendations will of course be fully considered in the course of developing the Bill.
The drafting of the legislation to facilitate Ireland’s ratification of the UN Convention against Torture, optional protocol to the convention, OPCAT, is progressing well. The general scheme of the places of detention Bill was approved by Government. It subsequently underwent pre-legislative scrutiny. Ratification of OPCAT is a priority for us and progressing the Bill to enactment is being actively worked on. I expect the text of the Bill to be finalised by the end of the year.
A net Supplementary Estimate of €3.3 million is required in 2024 in respect of the courts Vote. The Supplementary Estimate is due to the additional costs of the pay subhead of approximately €2 million and pressures in other subheads due to inflationary costs and increased courts sittings, requiring additional funding of €3.8 million.
These costs are offset by underspends in other subheads and a relatively small surplus in courts fee income of approximately €2.5 million. It may also be necessary to carry forward unspent capital. The exact value, if any, will be determined later this year.
As Members will be aware, today I commenced legislation which will provide for the establishment of the Judicial Appointments Commission on 1 January 2025. This marks a significant reform in the way judges are chosen for appointment. It is one of the most significant changes in almost 30 years. The Judicial Appointments Commission Act 2023 establishes a new independent Judicial Appointments Commission to select and recommend persons for all judicial offices in Ireland and in the EU and international courts.
Vote 24 relates to the Department of Justice. A net Supplementary Estimate of €3 million is required in 2024 in respect of the justice Vote. This comprises a gross expenditure requirement of €47 million, which is offset by a projected additional appropriations-in-aid of €44 million, resulting in a net additional requirement of just under €3 million. Of the €47 million, €24 million relates to the Stardust compensation payment to 48 families of the victims. As Members will be aware, the Government approved in July a scheme of ex gratia redress awards totalling €24 million which has been agreed with the families’ legal representatives. The finalisation of these awards is the conclusion of a series of steps the Government has taken to recognise the State’s failure to provide truth and justice for more than 40 years to the families whose 48 relatives were killed in a fire, which was subsequently found by inquest to be unlawful killing. Arrangements for the disbursement of payments through the families’ legal representatives are being made by my officials and are funded in this Supplementary Estimate to be issued as soon as practicable.
My Department has continued to invest heavily in the processing of international protection applicants and applications. More funding for staff recruitment will add to the significant investment made in the processing of applications. This builds on the work in recent years where I have more than doubled the number of the staff in the International Protection Office. There has been a corresponding tripling of decisions, with 14,000 decisions expected this year. Budget 2025 provides for the hiring of 400 additional staff which will facilitate 25,000 decisions next year.
Other significant additional funding is required to support subhead A14, namely, €5 million for compensation for personal injuries criminally inflicted; €7.5 million in criminal legal aid; €17 million for administration work, including ICT and legal work; and €1.5 million for the Probation Service. There are offsetting underspends in a number of other subheads, with the largest element of the offset relating to the surplus immigration and visa fees of approximately €30 million and EU funds of €14 million. This has arisen due to an increase in registration applications.
I thank the committee for allowing me the time to go through this information. I recommend the Supplementary Estimates to the committee. I am, of course, happy to address and answer any questions colleagues may have.