An Garda Síochána

Thursday, 7 October 2021

Questions (349)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

349. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the amount her Department and An Garda Síochána have paid in compensation for damage caused during raids and searches in each of the years since 2015. [48900/21]

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Written answers

Minister for Justice

I have a requested a report from the Garda authorities on the matters raised by the Deputy and will contact her directly when this is to hand.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51

I refer to Parliamentary Question number 349 of 7 October 2021 where you asked for the amount my Department and An Garda Síochána have paid in compensation for damage caused during raids and searches in each of the years since 2015.

You will recall that the information could not be obtained in the time available and I undertook to consult with An Garda Síochána and contact you again when the requested information was available.

As you may be aware, claims from property owners for damage caused to their properties arising from searches undertaken by An Garda Síochána are typically delegated to and managed by the State Claims Agency (SCA). Each claim is considered separately having regard to the particular facts of the case.

With regard to those claims paid by the SCA, I am advised that the information in the below table has been extracted from the National Incident Management System (NIMS), and relates to claims where the SCA has paid out damages as a result of a property damage claim arising from a raid/search carried out by An Garda Síochána for each of the requested years.

2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021 (Jan – Sept)	Total
€11,275	€24,695	€24,294	€22,747	€29,307	€17,996	€28,471	€158,785

I am informed that in some instances some more minor compensation claims in this regard have been paid directly by An Garda Síochána. I am also advised that at this time it is not possible for An Garda Síochána to disaggregate these type of payments from the overall expenditure for minor compensation claims for damage to property (not just search related) by members of An Garda Síochána.

For the Deputy’s information, the below table outlines the overall expenditure for minor compensation claims for damage to property paid directly by An Garda Síochána, in each year requested by the Deputy.

2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021 (Jan – Sept)	Total
€ 1,094	€ 5,303	€ 3,084	€ 37,477	€ 1,345	€ 4,272	€ 6,430	€ 59,005

I trust this information is of assistance.

Question No. 350 answered with Question No. 348.