The Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Mr. Alan Shatter T.D., today said that the gross expenditure budget of over €2.26 billion being provided to the Justice Vote Group for 2013 is evidence of the Government’s commitment to the Justice Sector in difficult financial times.
Speaking today, Minister Shatter said "Clearly, I would prefer if the Sector had not to take further reductions as part of its contribution to the measures necessary to restore our national finances. Unfortunately, due to the dreadful financial legacy inherited from the former government, this is not an option at this point in time. I can, however, assure the public that the 2013 budget will be spent in the fairest and most effective way possible to deliver the crucial front-line services required from the sector.
"The Justice Sector had to take a reduction of €100 million in current expenditure 2012 and will operate on a further reduced base of €62 million in 2013. The reduction in the funding available to the Department of Justice and Equality copperfastens the importance of the commitment of the Garda Commissioner and An Garda Síochána to smart policing, using available resources wisely and ensuring that the maximum number of Gardaí are available for front-line policing."
The Minister pointed out that the Justice Sector is engaged in a very significant reform programme which, in the current climate, is not just desirable but is an absolute necessity if we are to manage essential public services within the limited resources at our disposal.
Investing in Garda Transport
More than 62% of the budget for the entire Justice Sector goes directly to the Garda Síochána Vote. In this context, the Minister stated that he has managed to secure a total allocation of €5 million in 2013 for further investment in the Garda transport fleet. This comes on top of the additional funding of €3 million already provided at the end of the current year, which provided for an additional 170 Garda vehicles.
New Insolvency Service
Almost €376 million in gross terms has been provided for the Justice and Equality Vote and the Minister is particularly pleased that this sum includes a provision €7.5 million for the establishment and operational costs of the new personal insolvency service (Insolvency Service Ireland). He commented that "The establishment of this new Service, which is a key commitment in the programme for Government, will complement related legislative changes to rules around insolvency and satisfy commitments under the EU/IMF Agreement. This is a key structural reform which can aid competitiveness and economic recovery".
Supporting Victims of Crime
Minister Shatter also said that, in allocating resources, he was particularly conscious of the need to maintain current funding levels for services to Victims of Crime and for COSC, the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence.
New Cork Prison and essential works in Limerick and Dublin
The provision of a gross budget of €333.8 million for the Prisons Vote includes a capital allocation of €24 million which will allow construction work on the much needed new prison in Cork to commence in 2013, as well as other essential refurbishment and construction works in Mountjoy and Limerick Prisons.
Strengthening our Courts
A gross budget of over €105 million for the Courts Service will provide for the ongoing management of the Courts and the support of the judiciary. As in other parts of the Justice Sector, reform is of crucial importance to achieving efficiencies in this area. "I am very pleased with the level of engagement at all levels in the Courts Service in this regard, and am assured that further efficiencies will continue to be delivered in this important area of the criminal justice system".
Enhanced Customer Service
The Property Registration Authority, while the smallest Vote in the Group, plays a significant role in the registration and certification of land transactions. As a result of the investment in technology, the Authority has developed extensive on-line services which are available to the general public and practitioners involved in land and property transactions. A gross budget of €32.9 million is being provided for the Property Registration Authority in 2013 and the merger of the Authority with other related State Bodies - the Valuation Office and Ordnance Survey Ireland - will be progressed during 2013.
The Minister emphasised that "tight fiscal control in the current climate is an absolute necessity and we must be inventive and resourceful in how we use the resources at our disposal, be they financial, staffing or legislative, to meet the challenges facing the sector".
Innovative and Cutting Edge Policing
The Minister, in referring specifically to the Department’s legislative programme for 2013, said that "My legislative priority for combatting crime is the publication and enactment of a new Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence and DNA Database System) Bill which takes into account the most recent jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights.
Legislative Reform Agenda
"I also expect to see the enactment of the Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions) Bill which will take into account the final form of the National Vetting Bureau Bill.
"Justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done. I will be publishing a short Courts Bill to ensure that family law cases can be reported by the media in a responsible fashion and without identifying the individuals concerned.
"Early in the New Year, I expect to submit the Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Bill to Government for its approval to publish. Enactment of the Bill will bring about long-awaited reform of the law on mental capacity and will be an important step towards ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities."
Protecting Human Rights and Equality
The Minister will shortly publish the Bill to establish the new Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission "This new body will build on the work undertaken to date by the Equality Authority and the Human Rights Commission. It will strengthen our institutional arrangements to protect and promote human rights by giving the new body an enhanced range of powers and functions."
Overhauling our Legal Services
The Minister also mentioned the Legal Services Regulation Bill, which completed Second Stage in the Dáil earlier this year and is due to commence Committee Stage in the New Year. The Bill will implement radical reform in relation to the legal profession and fulfill a commitment in the Programme for Government and a priority of the Troika Memorandum of Understanding. These documents reflect the Bill’s importance as a driver of structural reform in the provision of legal services in the State and in promoting greater transparency and competition in relation to legal costs with a fairer balance of consumer interests.
Reforming Asylum and Immigration Systems
It is also the Minister’s intention to publish and enact the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill during 2013. The Bill will radically reform and modernise the approach taken to the determination of asylum applications and applications for permission to remain in the state. The Bill will replace law dating from 1935 (the Aliens Act) and provide a single code of law on entry into and presence in the State of foreign nationals, including a single protection procedure.
The Minister concluded by saying that "We have seen a number of positives in recent times and we need to build on those: crime rates across 11 out of 14 headings are down, the very necessary building programme in the prisons is continuing, balanced with investment in alternatives to custody. The Sector is contributing to our national economic recovery with the establishment of the new Personal Insolvency Service and for the first six months of 2013, the Sector will be to the forefront in Ireland ‘s presidency of the European Union."