Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 December 2018
87. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the office holders and non-office holders, both political and non-political, provided with a car and driver; the cost associated with each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52510/18]
View answerThe use of State cars and Garda drivers is confined to the President, the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Minister for Justice and Equality, the Chief Justice and the Director of Public Prosecutions, the security of such persons being the responsibility of An Garda Síochána. I am informed by An Garda Síochána that total costs for 2017, which include an estimate in respect of the provision of drivers (payroll costs etc.), running costs and capital expenditure (where applicable), are indicated in the following table.
|
Vote |
2017 |
|
President's Establishment |
€197,005 |
|
Taoiseach |
€200,698 |
|
Justice & Equality (a) |
€185,000 |
|
Department of Business and Enterprise (a) |
€78,000 |
|
Foreign Affairs & Trade (a) |
€15,000 |
|
Director of Public Prosecutions |
€186,958 |
|
Chief Justice |
€179,841 |
(a) The Office of Tánaiste was partly held by the Minister for Justice and Equality, the Minister for Business Enterprise and Innovation and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade during 2017.
Separately, within my Department, and in line with similar arrangements for Ministers and Ministers of State across Government, Minister of State David Stanton has 2 civilian drivers employed on a week-on, week-off basis, at an estimated average weekly cost of €695.
Furthermore, a driver and vehicle service is available to the State Pathologist/Deputy State Pathologists when they are called to cases outside Dublin. The cost amounted to €29,708.65 in 2017 and to €25,386.25 up to 10th December 2018. The current service provider was selected through a procurement process undertaken in conjunction with the Office of Government Procurement.
A previous arrangement for the provision of a driver to the Office of the Inspector of Prisons, was discontinued in 2016.
