Garda overtime budget due to run out

THE Garda overtime budget is due to run out in August and the Government has ruled out allocating any more money, a Garda conference was told yesterday.

The chief administrative officer of the force told senior gardaí there was no question of going “cap in hand” to the Government, like last year.

John Leamy told the annual conference of the Association of Garda Superintendents (AGS) that the force had to “get to grips” with escalating sick leave and said a total of 134,000 sick days were lost in 2007.