2,400 gardaí get over €10,000 each in overtime

MORE than 2,400 gardaí received over €10,000 each in overtime payments in 2010.

The largest amount received by one individual was €47,500.

Out of a total pay bill of about €1 billion, €220m went on allowances and €78m on overtime. In the prison service, nearly 2,000 staff received overtime payments in excess of €10,000. The biggest payment was over €31,000. The total prison pay bill of €242m included allowances of €50m and overtime payments of €35m.

Payments totalling €5.5m were made in 210 civil actions taken against the state arising out of actions of gardaí. The payments ranged from €51 to €750,000. A total of €630,000 was paid out in respect of claims by 32 gardaí in relation to injuries sustained on the job. The amounts ranged from €102 to €220,000.

At December 31, 2010, there were an estimated 2,700 compensation cases against the Garda authorities. Compensation and legal costs totalling €2.76m were paid in 293 cases in respect of claims for personal injuries and material damage resulting from accident involving Garda vehicles. The payments ranged from €30 to €87,500. Compensation and legal costs totalling €7.5m were paid out in 211 cases. The payments ranged from €1,000 to €350,000.

The Department of Justice has paid €103m to operate 11 tribunals, commissions and inquiries to the end of December 2010.

Last year the total came to almost €10m, up from €8.5m in 2009.

The biggest expenditure last year was for the Morris Tribunal (€5m), bringing its total bill since 2002 to €57.6m.