The Garda Commissioner is the Accounting Officer for the Garda Vote. In that context I am informed by the Garda authorities that a total of €6,786,759 was expended by the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation in 2011.
I am further informed that a special cost-code has not been established for the purpose of the investigation referred to by the Deputy and that, accordingly, costs associated with the investigation are payable from the overall budget allocated to the Bureau of Fraud Investigation. In the circumstances the Deputy will appreciate that the actual costs involved are not readily available and I understand that they could not be compiled without a disproportionate expenditure of Garda time and resources.