Politicians will be able to claim half the cost of personal security measures

Oireachtas members will be able to claim for 50% of their approved security costs or a maximum of €5,000

On Tuesday, Cabinet approved the security requirements allowance which will allow members of both houses of the Oireachtas apply for reimbursement for security measures including personal alarms.  

Allowances for improved security will allow politicians claim 50% of the cost of intruder alarms, CCTV, fixed panic buttons, and personal monitoring devices.

On Tuesday, Cabinet approved the security requirements allowance for members of both houses of the Oireachtas, following discussions between officials in the Department of Public Expenditure and the Houses of the Oireachtas.

Oireachtas members will be able to apply for a vouched reimbursement of 50% of their approved security costs, or a maximum of €5,000, whichever is the lesser. 

Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe aims to add the minor legislative amendment to a suitable legislative vehicle as soon as possible, a Government spokesperson said. The Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2022 has been identified as a possible bill in which the amendment could be included. 

It will give politicians access to a reimbursement scheme for the purposes of enhancing the security of their staff, home, and offices, where deemed necessary by a security review by a crime prevention officer. It will allow for a range of items to be purchased, as long as an approved installer does the work.

Cabinet was also told on Tuesday that the number of young people being referred to garda youth diversion programmes was down 17% in 2020.

The annual report of the committee that monitors the effectiveness of the garda youth diversion programme was brought to Cabinet by Justice Minister Simon Harris and junior minister James Browne.

The garda youth diversion programme provides a system of formal and informal garda cautions for young offenders aged between 12 and 18, as well as supervision in the community by a garda juvenile liaison officer.

The report shows that the number of children referred was 8,169, a decrease of 17% from 2019. The number of children who received formal or informal cautions was 5,875, down 23% from 2019, and there were 716 restorative cautions, up from 125 restorative cautions in 2019.

Mr Harris also updated Cabinet on the 2022 annual report of the international protection appeals tribunal. The tribunal started 2022 with 1,180 appeals on hand and a further 1,180 were submitted in 2022. A total of 1,571 appeals were completed and 266 appeals were withdrawn or deemed withdrawn.

The Government has also agreed to oppose two private members bills, one in the Dáil and one in the Seanad. On Wednesday, the Rural Independent Group will bring forward a motion on rural housing, but a Government counter-motion will argue that much of the work called for is underway. 

A Seanad motion on electoral reform of the upper house of the Oireachtas will be opposed.