€4 million Budget jump in criminal legal aid budget

The Justice budget has edged upwards to €2.98 billion for 2020 and includes seed funding of €0.1m for a new gambling regulator.

Minister Charlie Flanagan welcomed the €190 million increase on the previous year, announced in this week’s Budget.

The budget bump will fund:

• Up to 700 new garda recruits and additional garda staff,
• Funding for the establishment of the Judicial Council,
• Increased funding for Forensic Science Ireland,
• €120 million increase in current expenditure, and
• €70 million increase in capital funding. 

The total 2020 Justice allocation of €2.98 billion will be split as follows:

• An Garda Síochána – €1.882 billion,
• Prisons – €383.3 million,
• Courts Service – €150.9 million,
• Department of Justice and Equality – €549 million,
• Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission – €6.8 million, and
• Policing Authority – €3.4 million.

The minister told the Dáil yesterday he was particularly pleased with the increase of €122 million in the Garda budget for 2020. 

The policing overtime budget of €95 million will be maintained for 2020, while €75 million will be invested in IT upgrades.

The capital budget has increased by 26% to €116.5 million, and will include €9 million to strengthen and expand the garda fleet.

A total of €32 million will provide for the building and refurbishment programme.

Major projects include the HQ relocation from Harcourt Square to Military Road in Dublin, and the completion of the Fitzgibbon Street station redevelopment.

The total allocation for policing in 2020 is €1.882 billion, an increase of €122 million (7%) on the previous year. A €76 million increase in the pay budget will allow for increased recruitment of up to 700 new gardaí.

The overtime budget for 2020 has been maintained at €95 million.

There will also be a targeted severance package for senior personnel as part of the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing.

The money will also pay for general public-service pay increases in 2020.

Under the Public Service Stability Agreement, annualised salaries up to €32,000 will increase by 0.5% on 1 January 2020, while, on 1 October 2020, annualised salaries will increase by 2%.

Judicial Council and legal aid

And €1 million has been earmarked by the minister for the establishment of the Judicial Council, bringing the total allocation to €1.25 million.

“The Judicial Council will have a significant role to play in ensuring excellence across the judicial system, in developing sentencing guidelines to ensure greater consistency, and in examining the issue of personal injury claims,” the minister told the Dáil. 

An additional €4 million has been allocated for Criminal Legal Aid, bringing its total to €65.3 million.

The Legal Aid Board has been allocated €42.2 million for 2020, which includes €1 million to continue the Abhaile Scheme for mortgage arrears. 

Construction funding for the Forensic Science Laboratory will be allocated almost €40 million in 2020, bringing its total budget to €54.4 million.

The Probation Service will get an extra €1.1 million, bringing its total allocation to €48.9 million in 2020.

Other allocations

Other allocations are:

• €0.5 million for the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, bringing its total allocation to €11.2 million,
• €0.5 million to bring the total allocation for the Criminal Assets Bureau to €9.1 million,
• €0.5 million to bring the allocation for the Private Security Authority to €3.8 million in 2020,
• The Data Protection Commissioner’s overall allocation of €16.9 million is up by €1.6 million from last year,
• €0.7 million brings resources for the Inspector of Prisons to €1.2 million.

Prisons’ budget

The prisons budget sees an increase of €24.3 million (6.8%) to a total of €383.3 million. 

“Additional current expenditure of almost €10 million includes €5 million across a number of areas to meet the demands arising from higher prisoner numbers, and increased maintenance costs of the prisons’ estate, along with €5 million in pay increases,” the minister said.

The capital budget increase from €32.3 million last year to €46.7 million and most of this will be utilised for the redevelopment of Limerick Prison.

A €1.3 million Justice research budget will include €0.7 million for the CSO for the Sexual Violence Prevalence Study.

Refugee and migrant integration

And a total of €7 million has been allocated for refugee and migrant integration. The National Disability Authority is to receive over €4.8 million. A budget of €700,000 has been allocated for LGBTI+ initiatives. 

The Courts Service will get an additional €12.5 million – or up to €150.9 million in 2020 –with a capital budget hike of €10 million.

Minister Flanagan said: “This allocation is important, in that it will improve access to justice. I am particularly pleased to note that €1.2 million will be spent on day-to-day running costs, which will result in more effective and efficient services."

He said that €300,000 of the current expenditure allocation would provide for additional judicial support staff for the Court of Appeal. 

Funding for victims of crime (€0.2 million) brings the sector's total allocation €1.9 million. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission gets €6.8 million, while the Policing Authority is to receive €3.4 million.