Garda chief says overtime must stay

The Garda Commissioner has said overtime pay for the force must remain but that a number of discretionary allowances could be subsumed into general pay for Garda members.

It has also emerged that nearly a third of the 108 allowances being reviewed by Garda management are not actually being claimed by any members of the force.

Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan outlined issues on the allowances yesterday and revealed that a number of stations set for closure would be decided in the coming weeks.

Speaking at the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Mr Callinan said overtime pay for gardaí was not a “discretionary” payment. “It’s not something thrown around like confetti at a wedding,” he said.

Some €214m is spent on Garda allowances, half of which goes on payments for weekend or public holiday work, the committee heard.

For Garda inspectors, overtime makes up a third of their pay, TDs heard.

Mr Callinan said: “This is a spend that I must have allowed to me over and above general salaries.”

The PAC also discussed rent allowance (€57m) for gardaí and an availability allowance (€1.57m) for senior members.

Mr Callinan said it needed to be decided if these should be subsumed into core pay.

Management want to abolish eight of the 108 allowances. However, TDs heard how 35 allowances under review are no longer claimed by members.

The committee was told how a special Garda cost-cutting unit furthering savings under Croke Park was paying 13 members €6,000 each in allowances on top of salary.

Garda unions are set to challenge some allowance cuts.

Some 34 gardaí were also getting over €1m collectively for a ministerial [driving] pool allowance, where they act as chauffeurs.

Sinn Féin TD Mary Lou McDonald said this seemed like a lot of money.

She compared a bicycle allowance for gardaí as something which could be connected with Flann O’Brien, the nom de plume of the late satirical writer Brian O’Nolan.

Both the Garda Representation Association and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors said allowances formed a significant part of core pay.

Talks will now begin between management and unions on plans to abolish eight Garda allowances.

Mr Callinan yesterday also told TDs a review of Garda station closures would be presented to the justice minister in the coming weeks.

Fine Gael TD John Deasy said: “The force needs to be very careful how it presents this [to the public].”

But the Garda Commissioner said there were several stations that only opened for a couple of hours per week and Garda operations in some areas would need to be intelligence-led and more efficient.