Darren O'Rourke
Ceist:162. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Justice the amount of cash seized by gardaí in 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form. [15222/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 23 March 2022
Ceisteanna (162)
Freagraí scríofa
As the Deputy will be aware, responsibility for the identification, tracing, freezing, and ultimate confiscation of criminal assets does not rest with a single organisation in Ireland and is spread across a number of different agencies and statutory bodies, not all of which are the responsibility of my Department. These include An Garda Síochána, the Criminal Assets Bureau, the Revenue Commissioners, the Chief State Solicitors Office, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Courts. It should be noted that in some cases, funds seized represent overdue/unpaid personal taxation.
I understand that, in accordance with the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Acts 1996-2016, the Criminal Justice Act 1994 and SI No. 418/2011 - Finance (Transfer of Departmental
Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2011, all confiscations relating to the proceeds of crime are transferred to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to be paid into, or disposed of, for the benefit of the Exchequer. It is from this central fund that the Government draws for expenditure on all necessary public services and investment, including for communities affected by crime.
However, last year I reached agreement with Minister McGrath to establish a Community Safety Innovation Fund to allow the money seized from criminal activity to be more directly utilised in communities affected by crime. The new Community Safety Innovation Fund (CSIF) will support the work of the Community Safety Partnerships and other policy initiatives of the Department of Justice in the areas of Community Safety and Youth Justice. The initial outlay of the fund will be €2 million in 2022 and is expected to increase in subsequent years.
I am advised by the Garda authorities that PULSE was examined to determine the recorded value of cash seized and the below table outlines the recorded value of cash seized by Garda region.
Recorded Values of Cash Seized by Garda Region.
|
Garda Region |
2021 |
*2022 |
|
Dublin Region |
6,672,380 |
2,511,316 |
|
Eastern Region (NEW) |
1,840,543 |
254,305 |
|
North Western Region |
1,234,012 |
413,050 |
|
Southern Region |
2,393,637 |
232,938 |
|
Grand Total |
12,140,572 |
3,411,609 |
|
*YTD to 21 March 2022 |
It is worth noting that the information provided is taken from PULSE as of 22/03/2022 and is operational and may be liable to change.
For clarity, in a small proportion of incidents, the value of cash seized is recorded in the narrative descriptions. The figures above are based solely on records where the value is recorded in the specific value field. They should not therefore be taken as a definitive total amounts.