Among the many headaches I inherited when I was appointed Minister for Justice and Equality in March 2011 was the need to unravel the expenditure for the Justice Sector contained in the Fianna Fáil-led Government's National Recovery Plan 2011-2014, which, if applied, would have resulted in devastating cuts in Garda services which I would not, and could not, stand over. The budgetary resources in the Fianna Fáil National Recovery Plan were unacceptable and would have put the Garda Commissioner in an impossible position. Fortunately, I was able to secure additional funding for the three-year period 2012 to 2014 to ensure that sufficient money was available to the Commissioner to allow the Garda Síochána to continue to deliver an effective policing service.
Specifically, I secured Euro 2.243 billion for the Justice Sector for 2012 which was Euro 118 more than had been allocated by Fianna Fáil. For 2013, I secured funding of Euro 2.2 billion which was Euro 191 million more than the Fianna Fáil allocation. For 2014, I secured Euro 2.065 billion, which was Euro 105 million more than the original Fianna Fáil allocation. Overall, had I not obtained this additional finance, the Gardaí would have stood to lose an average of Euro 90 million each year under the Fianna Fáil plan over the years 2012 to 2014.
In 2013 the Garda financial allocation, which in gross terms amounts to over Euro 1.4 billion, is a substantial amount and I can assure the Deputy, and the House, that this allocation will be spent in the most effective way with the emphasis on the delivery of front-line services. In that general context, a budget of Euro 5 million has been made available in 2013 for the purchase of additional Garda vehicles and, indeed, the modernisation of the Garda fleet is a crucial part of supporting policing operations throughout the State.
As the Deputy will be aware, a programme of consolidating the Garda station network is currently under way. This programme, which has been undertaken on the basis of recommendations made by the Garda Commissioner, yielded the freeing-up of over 160 Garda members in 2012 for operational policing duties. Moreover, the Garda authorities have indicated that the consolidation measures for 2013 will result in an extra 61,000 Garda patrol hours.
The overall objective of the consolidation process is to ensure effective policing. Furthermore, it has been supplemented by the new Garda roster system which ensures that resources are optimally deployed when and where they are required, to every part of the community, both rural and urban. In addition, the Garda Síochána has available to it a class-leading computer system and a state of the art digital radio system.
With regard to the fight against crime, the most recent crime statistics published by the Central Statistics Office show a welcome reduction in 12 of the 14 crime groups for which figures are given, compared with the previous 12 months. The figures reflect how the Gardaí are making an impact on crime and the Commissioner has indicated that the Force will maintain its focus on criminal activities. In response to the rise in burglaries, Operation Fiacla has been set up by the Commissioner. The operation has been very successful and up to the end of December 2012 it has resulted in 3,538 arrests and 1,924 charges.
I am determined, as Minister for Justice and Equality, that the resources of our Garda Síochána will be used in the best, most effective and efficient way possible. Overall, I believe that the primary Garda objective of combating crime will be continue to be achieved, and that, despite the pressure on the public finances, it will be possible for the Force to operate to the optimum benefit of our communities in a manner that will facilitate the prevention and detection of offences.
