The State's justice budget will exceed £1 billion for the first time next year. The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, yesterday confirmed that expenditure is estimated at £1,048 million - up from £907.4 million in 1999.
The Garda's budget increases from £580 million to £671 million. This includes £2 million for a computerised on-the-spot fines system and £1 million for other traffic law enforcement equipment.
The Minister will devote £7.2 million to provide video and audio recording equipment for interrogation rooms in Garda stations. This follows recommendations from the Law Reform Commission and other groups that statements from suspects taken in stations should be recorded.
The gardai will receive £5.7 million for a new secure radio network. This expenditure was agreed by the Government after last January's security van raid in Dalkey, when the raiders monitored Garda radio messages on hand-held receivers.
Substantial additional spending is earmarked for prisons, including funding for an educational and training programme to help young offenders with literacy and other skills to prepare them for employment. Prison officials have been arguing for years for additional funding for such a programme as young offenders with poor education and no skills often reoffend and return to prison at considerable cost to the State.
The Minister announced that £4 million will be spent on the connect programme to help educate and rehabilitate prisoners, and the probation and welfare services will receive £7.4 million to assist in re-settling offenders in the community.
Some £25 million will be spent on capital works in prisons as the two main new prisons at Clondalkin and Portlaoise are completed. The courts budget goes up by 23 per cent to £57.2 million. This includes an increase from £5 million in 1999 to £20 million for refurbishment and maintenance of courts.