Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan has attributed his inaccurate information to the Dáil about former garda commissioner Drew Harris’s full remuneration package to a “narrow interpretation” of a parliamentary question.
Labour’s Justice Spokesperson Alan Kelly has accused the minister of misleading the chamber and has called for a fuller explanation, reports RTE.
In October, Mr Kelly submitted a parliamentary question seeking details regarding the compensation package for the former Garda Commissioner.
In his response, the Minister for Justice outlined the salary that was paid to Mr Harris, reports RTE.
However, the reply omitted any reference to a confidential arrangement under which An Garda Síochána covered Mr Harris’s rent for a property in the Phoenix Park.
It became known on Thursday that the former commissioner did not pay rent for his home on Spa Road during his time in the role, reports RTE.
Instead, An Garda Síochána rented the property from the Office of Public Works (OPW) at a yearly cost of €21,000 from 2018 to 2025.
The Public Accounts Committee heard that this rent remained unchanged throughout that period despite significant increases in rental prices, reports RTE.
Mr Kelly has insisted the minister must address the Dáil to fully clarify what happened, describing the matter as a “disturbing and worrying issue”.
A spokesperson for the Minister for Justice confirmed that the answer provided to Mr Kelly’s question had been incomplete, reports RTE.
They said: “The minister acknowledges that the reply should have contained complete information regarding the former commissioner’s remuneration package”,
“This would have included a rental agreement between An Garda Síochána and the OPW, and an entitlement to a pension contribution equivalent to 18.4% of salary which was waived by the former commissioner”, reports RTE.
She added that Minister O’Callaghan plans to write to Mr Kelly to clear up the matter.
Today, Minister of State at the Department of Justice Niall Collins said he was confident the individual involved had paid benefit-in-kind tax to Revenue, reports RTE.
He told RTÉ Radio 1’s Saturday with Cormac Ó hEadhra that the commissioner was effectively on call at all times and needed to remain close to the Phoenix Park.
Mr Collins also stated that the rent should have increased.
In a statement today, the Department of Justice said the Policing Authority had advised the minister in 2017 on the terms recommended for a new Garda Commissioner, reports RTE.
The department said it accepted the recommendation that “in the case of a successful external candidate, it may be appropriate to provide for accommodation or an accommodation allowance given the requirement for the Garda Commissioner to reside in Dublin, and in light of the fact that the commissioner is on call 24/7 throughout the year”,
The current Garda Commissioner, Justin Kelly, already lived in the State at the time of his appointment, and the department has confirmed that no comparable rent arrangement applies.
The OPW also stated that €400,000 worth of refurbishment work was carried out on the property before it was leased to An Garda Síochána, reports RTE.
However, OPW chairman John Conlon emphasised that the works were not undertaken specifically in preparation for the lease.
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