Minister McEntee secures record €3.9bn Budget

The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, T.D., has announced a record €3.61 billion for current expenditure and €310 million for capital investment in the Justice sector. This unprecedented budget will be targeted to enhance public safety, improve crime prevention, ensure safe prisons, and drive end-to-end modernisation across Ireland’s immigration systems.

The major investment of almost €4 billion across the Justice Sector will equip frontline Gardaí with the tools and resources necessary to strengthen crime prevention and detection; support the rollout of 36 Community Safety Partnerships nationwide; and strengthen efforts under the Zero Tolerance Strategy to combat domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence (DSGBV). In addition, significant funding is allocated for targeted road safety initiatives and to recruit additional prison staff and alleviate the acute pressures of overcrowding within our prisons.

A key focus of Minister McEntee’s Budget is on reform of family law. Over €11m has been allocated to increase staff and improve our Courts Service. An additional €3m will enable the use of expert reports as outlined in the Family Justice Strategy to ensure the voice of each child impacted by family break ups can be heard and to safeguard their needs within the justice system. Through the enactment of the Family Courts Bill, the Minister will move to establish the Family District Court, the Family Circuit Court and the Family High Court, in order to transform our family justice system and make it more user friendly for families.

Budget Highlights

An Garda Síochána

• Garda funding has increased by over €500m (up 27% since 2020), bringing the total budget to €2.48 billion.

• This will provide funding to recruit between 800 and 1,000 new Gardaí, along with 150 Garda staff and move towards 1,000 Garda reserves.

• Garda overtime has been boosted by 13%, rising to €150 million, to enhance high-visibility policing efforts and serious crime investigation.

• The Garda trainee allowance will have almost doubled to €354 per week, effective from 1st October 2024 (up from €184 in 2023).

• €1.5 million has been allocated for Garda workforce wellbeing measures, including medical expenses.

• €5m to be provided for Public Order Units including two new water cannons, crowd control barriers, expansion of the dog unit and more body armour for frontline Gardaí.

• €9 million in additional funding to enhance road safety.

Capital Investments

• €100m of funding for ICT to equip Gardaí with the necessary tools to enhance crime prevention and detection, including Body-Worn cameras and the development of a digital evidence management system which will facilitate the nationwide roll-out of body worn cameras and the introduction of facial recognition technology.

• €62m investment in the Garda estate across the country with major projects progressed in 2025 including Portlaoise, Macroom, Clonmel and Newcastlewest.

• Fleet upgrades, including new public order vehicles and investment in a range of specialist vehicles to support modern policing.

• The delivery of a new helicopter in Q1 2025 for the important work of the Garda Air Support Unit.

Domestic, Sexual, and Gender-Based Violence (DSGBV) & Community Safety

• DSGBV funding is increasing to €70m. This is more than treble the funding for DSGBV services when Minister McEntee first became Minister for Justice, and a further significant increase for 2025.

• Increased funding for Cuan to €67m including additional resources to support the implementation of the Zero Tolerance strategy, with funding for 80 additional refuge spaces.

• €800k for Cuan will provide for research and data analytics to develop an impact-led approach for evidence and knowledge development to achieve effective DSGBV prevention, protection, prosecution, and policy co-ordination.

• A further targeted open call will be launched in 2025 to allow services to come forward with proposals.

• €9.5 million allocated for nationwide Community Safety Partnerships and the establishment of a National Office for Community Safety and the Community Safety Fund.

• An expanded Youth Justice Strategy with an increase of total funding by €3.2m and 10.8% bringing the total to €33 million.

Prisons and Probation

• Record funding of €525m has been secured to increase prison capacity and tackle overcrowding. This is an increase of €79m or 18%.

• Recruitment of 150 Prison Officers in addition to the 240 Prison Officers recruited in 2024.

• An additional €6.2 million to fund 130,000 additional staff hours in our Prisons.

• €53m in Capital Funding which will provide for the completion of 155 new prison spaces by the end of 2024 as part of a programme of works.

• The Probation Service will receive an additional €4 million bringing the total budget to over €60m to expand crime diversion programmes, support step down facilities, restorative justice, and community-based alternatives to imprisonment.

Immigration Modernisation

• €25m package for end-to-end investment in the immigration system including Service Delivery, International Protection Office, International Protection Appeals Tribunal and the Legal Aid Board. €2m is provided for ICT capital expenditure.

• Significant additional resources will be directed to streamline the international protection process, with approximately 400 further staff to be recruited. This will provide for over 25,000 IPO decisions compared to over 14,000 cases in 2024.

• Included in the package is €5m in increased investment in digital systems to modernise immigration systems, reduce processing times, increase removals (including with a new charter plane service), and strengthen border security.

• Readiness work for the introduction of the EU Asylum and Migration Pact requirements in 2026.

Courts

• €11.1m to Courts Service which will include 50 additional staff to support the expanding Judiciary bringing its budget to over €195m.

• This funding will help reduce backlogs and ensure quicker administration of justice.

• It includes €2m to support modernisation measures including outsourced jury minding to free up thousands of Garda hours for frontline policing services.

• Separately, an additional funding of €3m is to provide a pilot project to support the voice of children in family justice proceedings, including the recruitment of 8 staff as well as other services to assist in these proceedings.

• The budget for criminal legal aid will increase in 2025 by over €9m which will include an 8% increase in fees from 1 January 2025. This is in addition to the 10% increase in fees secured in Budget 2024. The Minister is committed to building on this progress.

Funding the Transformation resulting from the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024

• A total funding package of €28m provided for new bodies including Fiosrú (replacing GSOC), the Policing and Community Safety Authority, and the Office of the Independent Examiner.

• Together with 36 Community Safety Partnerships nationwide and the National Office of Community Safety will strengthen effective cross-agency working in partnership with local communities on public safety.

Minister McEntee's Remarks

“My priority is building stronger, safer communities, and this budget, the fifth since I took office as Minister, underscores the Government’s commitment to that goal. Since 2020, I have increased funding to An Garda Síochána by more than half a billion euros.

“This budget provides investment across the entire criminal justice system, including the courts and the prisons and builds on a robust programme of new laws and policy delivery, along with significant capital investments in technology, equipment, and buildings. This is made possible through a continued recruitment of dedicated people to work towards our shared mission of a safe, fair, and inclusive Ireland.

"In 2025, we’ll continue to strengthen frontline policing with between 800 and 1,000 new Gardaí set to begin training in Templemore. I was pleased to secure an increase in the Garda trainee allowance to €354 per week and on top of this I have provided millions of euros for public order equipment including body armour, the expansion of the dog unit and two new water cannons.

“I will continue to provide funding to free-up Gardaí for front line policing work. New funding will ensure that the Courts Service can outsource jury minding, which will free up thousands of Garda hours for frontline policing services.

"More Gardaí on the streets means more visible policing across Ireland. The increased budget for Garda overtime will ensure that cities, towns, and rural communities continue to benefit from enhanced visibility and public safety.

“Ensuring frontline Gardaí are equipped with Body-Worn Cameras is a key priority for me and forms part of my plan to ensure that An Garda Síochána is a leading and modern police service fit for the digital age. €100 million for Garda ICT will support the further development of a digital evidence management systems which will enable the faster review of evidence and support speedier detection and prosecution of offences. It will also enable the nationwide roll-out of Body-Worn cameras and the introduction of facial recognition technology for the first time.

"Community participation is crucial to people feeling safe and being safe and in 2025, we’re investing €5.5 million to roll out 36 Community Safety Partnerships across the country with the support of the New National Office which will be launched shortly. The Community Safety Fund, which reinvests proceeds seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau, is increasing to €4 million.

"I have trebled the funding for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in my time as Minister for Justice, with another significant increase in Budget 2025 to fund our Zero Tolerance strategy, improve services, better protect victims, and keep us on track to double the number of refuge spaces."

On the investment to achieve improvements in all aspects of the immigration system, the Minister stated:

“My priority is to deliver faster processing, a more efficient returns system and stronger border security. That is what this Budget delivers. The €25 million investment will modernise Ireland’s immigration system from end to end. It provides for reducing application processing times, by significantly increasing staff and through greater use of technology. These measures will enable progress toward our obligations under the EU Migration Pact which comes into effect in 2026.

“The Family Justice Strategy recognises the importance of the voices of children impacted family law disputes. I am proud to have secured €3m in 2025 for a programme of work to improve the quality of expert reports in family law proceedings and to standardise practises relating to how they are commissioned and by whom. These will help to safeguard our children and advocate for their best interests."

Additionally, Minister McEntee stressed the importance of addressing pressures within the prison system: Minister McEntee stated:

"It is essential that we increase overall capacity within the Irish prison service and continue to boost the number of staff. The allocation of €53m in capital funding in 2025 will help us deliver over 1,100 new prison spaces in the coming years. The pressures on our prisons are acute and that is why I am delighted that additional funding of €4 million has been secured for the Probation Service who will offer cost effective alternatives to prison, by also facilitating increased community return, as well as reducing delays and adjournments across the criminal courts.”

The Minister reflected:

“I am immensely proud that next year will be the first full year of operation of a number of new Statutory Bodies who will operate and oversee policing, security, and community safety. A modernised and robust response to the 21st century challenges of policing security and a whole of Government approach to community safety.

"In 2025, we’ll continue to ensure the Data Protection Commission has the resources to safeguard the privacy rights of our citizens."

Minister of State at the Department of Justice Browne’s remarks

Minister of State James Browne welcomed the additional budget funding of €3.2m bringing the total to €33 million* to support the Youth Justice Strategy including the addition of a further two new Youth Diversion Programmes.

Minister Browne said:

“We know that funding our youth diversion programs result in young people becoming less involved in crime and anti-social behaviour. I have secured investment totalling €33m in this highly effective evidence-based diversion, an increase of 162% since 2020”.

“A key priority for me has been to progress gambling legislation, with a focus on public safety and well-being from both an online and in-person perspective. The Gambling Regulator will receive €9.1m for its first year of operation in 2025, including €4m of ICT capital investment. This funding will enable the speedy introduction of a framework for a robust regulatory and licensing regime for the gambling sector in Ireland.

Notes

Gross expenditure budgets for the 7 Votes in the Justice Vote Group total €3.9 billion and cover the following Votes:

Garda Vote (€2.48 billion), Prisons Vote (€525 million), Courts Vote (€196 million), Justice Vote (€661 million), Data Protection Commission Vote (€29 million) and Policing Authority Vote (€4.8 million). Fiosrú Vote (€21.1m)

These budgets reflect the gross current and capital expenditure and does not include appropriations in aid. Increases generally reflect the difference since Budget 2024 and includes provision for full year costs of Public Sector Pay deal adjustments.

The 7th vote for Fiosrú will be established on the commencement of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024.

-*Please note this does not include Dormant Accounts Fund which will be allocated at a later date.