Shatter needs €32m bailout to pay gardaí

Justice Minister Alan Shatter has admitted his department will need to be bailed out to the tune of €32m this year to fund the pay and pensions of gardaí as well as compensation for the women of the Magdalene Laundries.

He told the justice committee yesterday that he required an extra €51m for An Garda Síochána’s budget plus an additional €5m for the Magdalene Laundries but this €56m total would be offset by savings of €24m in other areas.

He confirmed the total external funding required for the Department of Justice this year would be €32m and not €51m as previously claimed by Fianna Fáil’s Niall Collins.