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Justice Minister Alan Shatter has announced that new Ministerial Transport arrangements could save the Government up to €4 million.

New arrangements in the provision of cars for Ministers and other Office Holders mean that Cabinet Ministers and other Office Holders such as ex Taoisigh and Presidents will no longer be provided with full time Garda transport and drivers.

The Taoiseach, President, Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Law Reform will continue to be provided with Garda transport and cars, for security reasons. All other Cabinet Ministers, as well as the Ceann Comhairle and Attorney General, will supply their own cars and civilian drivers will be hired, as has been the case for Ministers of State for some years.

The new arrangements are estimated to save the Government €4 million, according to the Department of Justice and Law Reform:

The Department of Finance has examined the transport expenses incurred by Ministers of State and has estimated that the average annual cost per Minister of State, including drivers’ pay, is approximately €120,200. Using the expenditure figures for 2010, the average cost of providing an Office Holder car is approximately €280,000. On that basis, it is estimated that the arrangements accepted by Government could potentially yield a saving of the order of €4m per annum.

 Commenting on the decision Minister Shatter said:   

I am delighted that the Government has been able to act so quickly in this area and to fulfil the commitments it has made in the Programme for Government.  The new system for Ministerial transport will yield substantial financial savings.Also, very importantly, it will free up Garda personnel for policing duties instead of tying them up as Ministerial drivers.