Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 October 2013
270. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the amount by which the Garda overtime bill has been cut in the past five years up to September 2013; if he will provide the figures per year for the past five years showing each individual year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43495/13]
View answerThe Garda overtime provision for 2013 is Euro 39.66 million and the position in relation to this area of expenditure over the last five years is set out in the following table.
|
Year |
Expenditure |
|
2008 |
€115.3 million |
|
2009 |
€79.5 million |
|
2010 |
€78.2 million |
|
2011 |
€80.9 million |
|
2012 |
€42.4 million |
While expenditure on Garda overtime has been reducing as part of the necessary reduction in public expenditure, a number of additional factors must be taken into account. In particular, there have been significant changes in Garda practices which have reduced the need for Garda overtime in recent years. In this context, a new roster for members of the Garda Síochána has been introduced. The outcome of the new roster is to match the varying policing demands across the country with the availability of resources. The new roster is more flexible and it results in having more Gardaí on duty when the demand is greater. It also enables Garda management to make more efficient use of available resources generally, with the result that the amount of overtime required to be worked by Garda members is reduced.
In addition, the Haddington Road Agreement provides two specific measures which impact on the demand for overtime. Firstly, voluntary Garda overtime will be worked at a reduced rate of time and one quarter rather than time and a half and, secondly, each Garda, Sergeant and Inspector will work an additional 3 days each year in the period 2013 - 2015, providing almost 400,000 additional policing hours to the Commissioner which, in turn, contribute towards reducing Garda overtime expenditure.
More generally, Garda management, as part of the efficiency drive which must continue right across the public service, are keeping under continuing review the scope for measures, whether through better deployment or otherwise, which have the potential to reduce the need for overtime. The priority will remain the deployment of the maximum number of Gardaí on frontline operational duties, and indeed the crime statistics published by the Central Statistics Office reflect the excellent work being done by the Garda Síochána in this regard.
