Garda bill for overtime rockets 48% to €56.3m

One garda last year more than doubled his pay when he earned over €62,000 in overtime alone, out of a €56m overtime payout for members of the force.

New figures released by An Garda Síochána in response to a freedom of information request show the Garda overtime bill last year rocketed by 48.5% from €37.7m in 2014 to €56.3m.

The 2015 overtime bill is the highest since a spend of €79.68m in 2011, where costs of providing security for major events including the visit of US President Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II contributed to the payout.