Funding
The Garda Síochána Inspectorate is wholly funded by the Department of Justice to meet pay and non- pay expenditure requirements. This funding forms part of the Voted expenditure (Vote 24) of the Department of Justice and as such the Department’s Secretary General is the Accounting Officer. The Inspectorate observes the objectives and procedures governing the funding of the Inspectorate as provided for in its oversight agreement with the Department.
For 2024, the Department has provided the Inspectorate with funding of €1.446m of which €1.008m is provided for expenditure on pay and €438,000 for non-pay expenditure. This expenditure is reported on together with other areas of the Department’s expenditure in the Appropriation Accounts.
Expenditure
The table below shows the total expenditure incurred by the Inspectorate in 2023 broken down by pay and non-pay.
| 2023 | Budget € | Expenditure € | Variance € |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay | €982,000 | €989,566 | €7566 |
| Non Pay | €438,000 | €249,579 | -€188,421 |
| Total | €1,420,000 | €1,239,145 | -€180,855 |
Salaries
The Inspectorate comprises of 3 members, a Chief Inspector and two Deputy Chief Inspectors, who are appointed by the Government for a fixed tenure.
The annual remuneration (excluding PRSI and employer pension costs for the Chief Inspector and Deputy Chief Inspectors (as at June 2024) is as follows:
- Chief Inspector: €184,852
- Deputy Chief Inspector: €135,236
In addition, the following staff are assigned to the Inspectorate:
| Grade | Number |
|---|---|
| Principal Officer | 1 |
| Assistant Principal Officer | 2 |
| Higher Executive Officer | 3 |
| Executive Officer | 3 |
| Total | 9 |
Staff salaries for are paid in accordance with the pay for the grade of the post as set out by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER). Click here to see link to the relevant DPER circular.
Travel and Subsistence
The inspection process requires the conduct of field visits to operational and national units of the Garda Síochána, in order to analyse the effectiveness and the efficiency of Garda operations and benchmark Garda performance against the best standards of comparable police services.
The Chief Inspector and Deputy Chief Inspectors are also required to represent the Inspectorate at various conferences, seminars and meetings on policing matters and other matters related to the work of the Inspectorate at home and abroad.
In 2023 the Inspectorate incurred expenditure of €4,117 on travel and subsistence payments (excluding the cost of flights) to staff.
When approving travel and subsistence expenditure, the Inspectorate follows the general principles governing travel and subsistence set out in Circular 11/1982 and the Foreign Travel Guidelines 2009, mainly:
‘Travelling and subsistence allowances are payable only in respect of necessary absence from headquarters. All travelling duties should be planned so as to reduce the total amount of travel to the minimum consistent with efficiency. All official travel should be by the shortest practicable routes and by the cheapest practicable mode of conveyance.’