Shatter informs former taoisigh of end to State car privilege

MINISTER FOR Justice Alan Shatter will today write to former taoisigh to explain why their entitlement to a State car and Garda driver is being removed by the Government.

Former president Mary Robinson, as well as six former taoisigh — Liam Cosgrave, Garret FitzGerald, Albert Reynolds, John Bruton, Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen – have been entitled to avail of full-time official transport.

“We’ve extended beyond Cabinet Ministers. I’ll be writing tomorrow to former office holders, former taoisigh, to explain to them the decision that has been made,” Mr Shatter said yesterday.

He confirmed that exceptions would be made on important State occasions. “There will be still some cars available to collect a former president or a former taoiseach on occasion,” he said. The new arrangements are subject to a period of three months’ notice.

Former minister for justice Willie O’Dea of Fianna Fáil yesterday claimed the last government had been considering a similar initiative, but “just didn’t get around to it”. However, he said it should have happened before now.

The new arrangements for Ministers will be similar to those that have been in place for Ministers of State for some years. Ministers will now have to supply their own cars, although they will be entitled to mileage and civilian drivers will be hired by the State.

Last year, the Garda released details of the mileage on each of the former office holders’ cars. Mr Ahern’s mileage was 186,450km. Mr Reynolds’s was 307,296km; Mr Bruton’s 200,171km, Mr FitzGerald’s 44,860km and Mr Cosgrave’s 101,950 km. The Garda also gave details relating to the 54 personnel assigned to “drive and protect” former office holders.

The salary costs associated with such drivers were €4.6 million in 2008 and €4.2 million in 2009.

Mr Shatter said the Department of Finance had examined the transport expenses incurred by Ministers of State and had estimated that the average annual cost per Minister of State, including drivers’ pay, was approximately €120,200.

Using the expenditure figures for 2010, the average cost of providing an office holder’s car is approximately €280,000, he said.

“There’s a sum that’s been done, which is that it costs on average €280,000 a year last year for ministerial cars between drivers and allowances and everything that goes with it. It’s estimated that this system per Minister . . . will bring that cost down to about €120,000 a year.”

A substantial number of vehicles in the car pool were going to be sold off he said, while the redeployment of Garda drivers would be a matter for the Garda Commissioner. Mr Shatter said the new measures agreed by Cabinet yesterday would bring to an end the situation under which all Cabinet Ministers and certain other office holders, including ex-presidents and former taoisigh, were provided with full-time Garda transport and drivers.

This decision does not affect the provision of a State car to the Chief Justice and the Director of Public Prosecutions.

“In particular, they fulfil the commitments in the Government Programme for National Recovery 2011-2016, which promised that the new Government would halve the cost of the previous system of providing ministerial transport and would secure the release of Garda drivers for normal policing duties,” he said.

“I am delighted that the Government has been able to act so quickly in this area and to fulfil the commitments it has made in the programme for government. The new system for ministerial transport will yield substantial financial savings. Also, very importantly, it will free up Garda personnel for policing duties instead of tying them up as ministerial drivers.”