Department of Finance - Government of Ireland

Justice, Equality & Law Reform Vote Group
Commentary

Overview:
The Department of Justice, Equality & Law Reform submitted proposals which complied with its approved pre-Budget target. The Department also identified a series of additional expenditure pressures, amounting to some €156m in all, which were not catered for within its proposals. It was clear to the Committee that some of these pressures (amounting to €69m) had to be accommodated because the expenditure involved was outside the control of the Department and was not amenable to policy changes which the Government could consider. The Committee has put forward proposals which would meet €39m of these pressures and which would, therefore, result in an allocation some €30m above the approved pre-Budget target.

Additional comments:
Garda efficiency dividend - Considerable progress has been made in relation to the Garda Strategic Management Initiative. The Committee believes that an efficiency dividend of 2% can be achieved on Garda pay and administration if the relevant changes in structures, rosters, etc. are implemented and that such an approach is appropriate in the context of the proposal to make the Garda Commissioner the Accounting Officer for Vote 20. It would be essential, however, to ensure that the Commissioner has the necessary discretion to deploy garda resources to reflect operational priorities.

Prison Service - The Committee is proposing the adoption of a similar approach to the Prison Service and the agencies operating under the auspices of the Department. The proposed allocation for prison officer overtime is nearly €50m: any reduction in costs under this heading could be reallocated to meet pressures elsewhere on the Vote Group.

Asylum seekers’ accommodation - The Committee recommends that responsibility for recouping local authorities for costs incurred by them in relation to asylum seekers’ accommodation be transferred from the Department of the Environment & Local Government to the Department of Justice, Equality & Law Reform. This will achieve greater transparency in relation to the costs being incurred and should, the Committee believes, provide scope for savings of some €5m on this programme: any additional savings could be reallocated to the Asylum Seekers Task Force to increase its capacity to process applications.

Justice, Equality & Law Reform Vote Group
Summary of Committee's proposals
2002 REV (Gross)*				1646.34
Gross ELS figure for Vote Group				1666.92
Gross Pre-Budget target (PBT) for Vote Group				1627.51
Savings below ELS required to reach Pre-Budget target (share of €900m)				39.41
Gross savings proposed by the Committee to contribute to €900m target				9.56
Proposed Revised Gross Allocation (as per Table 1)				1657.36
Proposed Revised Gross Allocation including Asylum accommodation (as per Table 2)				1735.36


			€m	€m
Estimate bid submitted by the Justice, Equality & Law Reform Group (in line with the pre-Budget target)			1627.51	2003 Revised Allocation for each subhead

*Plus additional pressures which Committee accepts must be met:*
Office of the Minister (Vote 19)
B	Tribunals	7.00		7.51
C	Criminal Legal Aid	1.00		30.08
A	Administrative subheads	0.60
N	Childcare	15.00		70.83
Gardaí (Vote 20)
A1	Garda salaries and overtime	9.00		666.69
D	Garda transport	2.00		18.13
G	Superannuation	12.00		159.20
Prisons (Vote 21)
A1	Prison Officer overtime	20.00		201.87
Courts (Vote 22)
A	Administrative subheads	2.40
	Total additions		69.00

	*Estimate bid including pressures*		*1696.51*

*Less savings* *proposed by the Committee*
Office of the Minister (Vote 19)

A,E,F,J1,J2,K	Administrative efficiency dividends	1.33		65.35
G3	Asylum Seekers' Accommodation (see text)	5.00		73.00
Q	Status of People with Disabilities	1.95		2.85
S,S1,S2, T	Equality / Gender mainstreaming / Disability	4.25		13.28
Gardaí (Vote 20)
A	Administrative Efficiency Dividend (see text)	15.25		747.19
E	Communication and other equipment (E)	5.00		17.66
Prisons (Vote 21)
A	Administrative Efficiency Dividend (see text)	4.42		216.51
Courts (Vote 22)
A	Administrative Efficiency Dividend	1.32		66.39
Land Registry (Vote 23)
A	Administrative Efficiency Dividend	0.64		31.10
	Total savings		39.15

	Proposed Revised Gross Allocation		1657.36
	Proposed Revised Gross expenditure figure including Asylum accommodation		1735.36

	(E) refers to Estimating Savings
*For comparison purposes, the 2002 figure includes provision for asylum seekers' accommodation