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(Speaker Continuing)
[Mr. Martin Callinan:] It must also be borne in mind that An Garda Síochána performs security, intelligence and immigration functions that are not performed by many of our comparator police organisations. These additional mandates have an impact on the garda-to-civilian ratio.
Following implementation of a district and station rationalisation programme in 2012 and 2013, the structure of An Garda Síochána will comprise a central headquarters, national support units and geographical operational units organised in six regions, 29 divisions, 105 districts and 566 sub-districts.
An Garda Síochána had much success operationally and organisationally throughout 2012, with decreases in many categories of crime, including reductions, once again, in the numbers of road fatalities and public order incidents. While 2012 was a challenging year in terms of property crime, we saw a downward trend in the later half of the year, which has continued to date in 2013.
The 2013 budget for the Garda Vote amounts to €1.272 billion, which is a reduction of 4.5% when compared to the final outturn for 2012 of €1.333 billion. The rapid decline in the public finances in recent years requires us all to do more with less and An Garda Síochána is not immune from the effects of the downturn in the public finances and we continue to play our part in the nation’s economic recovery.
A new strategy statement for the three year period 2013 to 2015 has been published which builds on the achievements of the previous three year strategy statement and takes cognisance of the financial realities ahead, while delivering the necessary financial savings and efficiencies so as to enhance the policing service we provide for members of the public. The efficient use of resources in the delivery of a professional policing service has been highlighted in the annual Garda policing plan for 2013. An Garda Síochána has achieved significant efficiencies in recent times and is undergoing significant organisational development with a number of major change initiatives under way, including a new roster system, the first in almost 40 years in An Garda Síochána, and the new performance and accountability system, PALF.
In conjunction with these achievements, An Garda Síochána also has a significant organisational development and change programme in operation encompassing my commitments towards the Croke Park agreement, the integrated reform delivery plan, IRDP, and the GRACE programme. This programme has 39 projects either completed or in progress in areas such as a new service delivery model, district and station rationalisation, workforce realignment and an examination of specialisation in the organisation, among others.
Turning to chapter 26 in the 2011 report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the collection of motor taxation, the role of An Garda Síochána in the administration of motor taxation is to enforce the legal requirement for a vehicle in use to be taxed and display a valid motor tax disc. An Garda Síochána issues and processes the fixed charge notices in cases of failure to display a current motor tax disc and instigates prosecutions where fixed charges are unpaid. Motor tax disc display checks are carried out by members of An Garda Síochána during routine operational activities and checkpoints. A total of 58,075 fixed charge notices relating to tax and registration offences were issued in 2012. This compared to a figure of 65,863 in 2011, a reduction of 7,788, or 12%. In addition, An Garda Síochána can detain vehicles under section 41 of the Road Traffic Act 1994, as amended by section 19 of the Road Traffic Act 2006, where, inter alia, there is no road tax in force for a period of two months or greater. Regarding a declaration of non-use, the role of members of An Garda Síochána is to witness the signed declaration of non-use by the vehicle owner. I fully support the measures included in the Non-Use of Motor Vehicles Bill 2013 whereby off-road declarations will be required to be made prospectively.
I thank the Chairman for giving me the opportunity to address the committee. I will answer whatever questions the Chairman and members may have.
Chairman:   I thank Mr. Callinan. May we publish his statement?
Mr. Martin Callinan: Yes.
Deputy John Deasy: I welcome the Commissioner and his colleagues. I wish to start with the penalty points issue which has been raised recently. I am sure other members will also wish to make reference to it. As of now, I understand three gardaí face disciplinary proceedings over the quashing of penalty points, that is, three out of the 113 officers involved. The assistant commissioner has found no evidence of criminality, corruption, deception or falsification and that an average of 10,702 notices were terminated every year by gardaí employing discretionary power. He has found that notices were terminated for a good reason in many cases but for no good reasons in others. When people look at this issue, they will come to the conclusion that there is less to this issue than meets the eye. It has probably been overblown in some ways. However, we must ask questions about basic administration and administrative procedures in the context of completing files and the audit procedures involved when a quashing of a notice occurs. Is the Commissioner concerned that basic procedures have not been followed in some districts and divisions?
Mr. Martin Callinan: I thank the Deputy for his question. With the Chairman's permission, I would like, first, to outline the three main pillars under which An Garda Síochána operates, which are to be found in our corporate strategy and annual policing plans. Our mission statement refers to working with communities to protect and serve them and to having excellent people delivering policing excellence. The third pillar is something which will be very familiar to all members, namely, our national emblem of the harp. We use the acronym HARP to remind our members that they are charged with the responsibility of enforcing the laws of this land and protecting communities and businesses, in the widest sense. It stands for honesty, accountability, respect and professionalism. Keeping these four values in mind pretty much takes care of the mission statement and the vision for An Garda Síochána.
The Deputy has raised an extremely important issue for us, that is, the enforcement of road traffic legislation and the powers of discretion that arise in that context. As I see it, there are two issues involved. One is the actual processes, procedures and policy involved and compliance with them. The second is discretion. Depending on which lens one uses to look at some of these decisions, one would have a particular view. I can guarantee the committee that if all of us in this room took ten cases, we would probably come up with ten different views of how to process a particular instance. What the administration of the system - the on-the-spot fines system - is all about is applying balance, equality and non-discrimination. It is also about fair procedures and good practice.
I acknowledge the report from the assistant commissioner, Mr. John O'Mahoney, and thank him for his assistance, through that very detailed report, in establishing the facts surrounding the allegations in this case. It is very clear from the report that the assistant commissioner did not see any criminality vis-à-vis the documents available to him and he studied many of them. He did not see any fraudulent use of the system; nor did he find corruption or malpractice. However, what he did find which is of particular concern to me was non-compliance, or rather, not full compliance with the policies and procedures in place. In that context, he has made a number of recommendations to me which I fully intend to implement.
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