Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 June 2013
33. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will consider legislation to ring-fence assets or moneys seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau to be reinvested in communities worst affected by the activities of the criminals involved. [28244/13]
View answerAll monies collected by the Criminal Assets Bureau are returned to the Exchequer in accordance with the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Acts 1996 and 2005. Such funds are paid into the Government’s Central Fund, from which the Government draws for expenditure on all necessary public services and investment. From time to time, it has been suggested that such monies should be used to fund community projects. However, while it has been accepted that there may be some symbolic value in the suggestion, it is considered problematic and raises a number of practical difficulties.
A policy of ring-fencing monies obtained by the Exchequer and the reallocation of these for a specific purpose runs contrary to the normal Estimates process. While allowing for a small number of very specific targeted exceptions, it is believed that earmarking revenues for a specific expenditure programme would, in general, constrain the Government in the implementation of its overall expenditure policy. There is also the problem of additional costs which would accrue in the administration of any scheme to divert such funds to local projects and additional administrative costs without any additional revenues being generated. It could also be argued that a significant proportion of the monies secured by the Bureau are already owed to the Exchequer as it often relates to non-payment of taxes and social welfare fraud.
In the current economic climate the Exchequer could not sustain a loss of revenue without making compensatory adjustments. If the monies collected by the bureau were to be diverted to community projects, there would inevitably be implications for any other monies those projects received from the Exchequer. Alternatively, other public expenditure programmes would have to sustain the loss. There are currently no proposals to change the existing arrangements concerning such monies.
