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AN GARDA SÍOCHÁNA expect to be €13 million behind their 2014 target for savings agreed under Haddington Road, the force’s Executive Director of Finance said today.
Gardaí were asked to make €29 million in savings as part of the agreement on public sector pay, but are on target to achieve only €16 million of that amount.
There was also a comparable shortfall in overall savings 2013 — with just €9 million of the projected €15 million achieved.
Appearing before the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee today, Michael Culhane said that further savings could yet be identified.
“As part of the Haddington Road Agreement the Garda Inspectorate is also conducting a review of measures which may identify some additional savings,” Culhane said.
Michael Culhane [Oireachtas.ie]
Pay cuts
Initial estimates for the year put the expected savings from pay cuts imposed on those earning over €65,000 at €2 million, Culhane said — but there was a €700,000 shortfall in that category.
“Having done an analysis of people in receipt of a payment that is over €65,000, that measure will yield a saving of €1.3 million.”
“Work is obviously ongoing in terms of new measures that can be put in place to achieve the savings targeted.
“If there is a shortfall, we’ll have to address that matter with the Department of Justice [and] with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform
That’s part of ongoing discussions that we would have.
Fianna Fáil’s Sean Fleming noted that the figure was “a long way short of the actual target” and said he would be concerned if it was indicative of a broader trend across the public service.
Culhane, Commissioner Noirín O’Sullivan and other senior figures from the the force’s management were before the panel of TDs to discuss their accounts for 2012.
The Garda appropriation account for that year showed a gross expenditure of €1.46 billion — a 6.7 per cent reduction on 2011.
Salaries and pensions accounted for 87 per cent of expenditure.
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I thought you had to pay for passports. That’s like saying “Temple bar pub down ten kegs of guinness after unexpected surge in business on a busy Saturday night”
@Ronan Sexton: oh no! Where can I donate?
Enda should follow Trumps lead and just push a bill across the table next time he’s sitting down with Theresa May. ‘Yeeeaaaaahhh… whenever you get the chance, if you could just pay that… that be great”
@Drew TheChinaman :): I wouldn’t do that, the passport office made 5.2 million on those extra passports so they came out way ahead
@Boganity: strange that the article focuses only on the costs.
How do you possible arrive at that figure… a passport costs €80… 10,959 passports were issued. That means revenue from them were approx €877k.
If you can’t do basic math you really shouldn’t comment.
@Drew TheChinaman :): id say the people in the passport office don’t know what’s after hitting them a surge in work they’d be used to the slow and steady approach
@Drew TheChinaman :): as its says in the article that is the net of a 3 month period year on year, the annualised figure is 65,000 passports issued to people in Britain which it also says in the article
Irish passport applications from British residents are now being processed in Britain itself.
@Nosmo King: all Irish passports are issued by the passport office in Dublin. Since 911 all passports have to be issued in the actual country the passport is from. Embassies and consulates now only process applications and distribute the passports when they receive back from Dublin
@Boganity: Yes, as I said. All Irish passport applications from British residents are processed in Britain itself !
€31,637,414 the running costs for a year!!!!!!!more massaged figures????or just bad management?
@et: that 31.6 million figure includes the printing and production costs of the 720,000 passports issued last year for which they charged 57.6 million, that’s a 26 million profit they made.
It had better be an April fool because there has been no recruiting in health, 32 extra staff and an extra €4 + million would benefit in that area would be far more welcome.
@Jho Harris: Health didn’t make 26 million profit the passport office made last year.
@Boganity: If you put your comment into context, health will lose money to the amount of extra passports on non passport holders in the country who have no intention of paying taxes etc.
Just remembered its April fools day
This is good news. What’s with the negative headline? Months ago he was informing the world that they were understaffed and wouldn’t be able to cope with the volume of applications. Now they have work, staff and a great new app. He should be celebrating the preparation put in.
Allow the highly paid staff of the passport office their we rant
It’s all bull
I am over in the UK on a break
It’s must cheaper here fact!!
@Jonathan Yeo: do you pay property tax etc on your break?
Passport express now taking between 6 to 8 weeks not 10 working days. There must be a huge surge in applications
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