Stop inviting VIPs – we just can’t afford it, says Garda union boss
THE Taoiseach should stop inviting VIPs here, as An Garda Síochána can’t afford it, the vice president of the Garda Representative Association has said.
Frank Thornton described the use of the pre-approved Garda budget to cover trips, such as the impending visit by US vice president Mike Pence, as ‘reckless behaviour’.
‘It is absurd to think that An Garda Síochána’s budget has been reduced by €10million [to cover Donald Trump’s recent visit] and potentially further reduced, with the pending visit of Vice President Pence, to facilitate our Taoiseach’s party,’ he told RTÉ’s Today With Miriam O’Callaghan. ‘The Taoiseach needs to stop inviting these VIPs to this country because we simply can’t afford it.’
He said the usual practice for covering the costs of VIP visits, such as those of Queen Elizabeth or Barack Obama, is to give the Garda a supplementary budget – but he added that this did not happen with Mr Trump in June.
‘It was through media we discovered that President Trump’s visit was to come from our own budget,’ Mr Thornton said, adding that Mr Pence’s itinerary is still being finalised so the number of gardaí needed is still not known.
Solidarity-People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett told Ms O’Callaghan we should not be spending ‘vast amounts of money and resources rolling out the red carpet for Mike Pence’.
He said that, as part of the Trump administration, Mr Pence has a ‘key role’ in the rise of the ‘dangerous, extreme-right, authoritarian, racist, warmongering, climate-destroying, political trend that has taken over politics in the US’. He expects protests against the visit, but does not believe they will be as big as those for Mr Trump.
However, Communications Minister Richard Bruton yesterday described the planned Pence visit next week as ‘something to be welcomed’. When asked about the disquiet over the visit, he told the Irish Daily Mail: ‘We have to respect the office that he holds.
‘We often have people here who have opinions or positions that we don’t always agree with. That is part and parcel of international exchange, and we should be part of that.’
A Government spokesperson told the Mail yesterday that visits to Ireland ‘by dignitaries, such as the vice president of the United States, help us maintain strong relationships with our international counterparts, and enhance trade and cultural links’. They said: ‘Security costs for the visit have not yet been finalised, but it is important to note that An Garda Síochána has been allocated a record €1.76billion this year. The management of these resources is a matter for the Garda Commissioner.’ Asked last month if we could afford another visit of this magnitude this year, Leo Varadkar said: ‘We can, yes.’
The Taoiseach also said, at that time, that the vice president and his family would be ‘extremely welcome in Ireland’ and that Mr Pence ‘does have a really genuine connection to Ireland – and particularly to Sligo and Co. Clare’.
Mr Pence and his wife Karen are due here next Friday, September 6. He is expected to be joined by his mother Nancy and sister Anne Pence Poynter. Both his parents are Irish-American, with their heritage linked to Tubbercurry in Co. Sligo and Doonbeg in Co. Clare.
Hugh McNally, a distant cousin of Mr Pence, runs a restaurant in Doonbeg, called Morrissey’s.
The itinerary for the vice president’s trip is yet to be released, but visits to Phoenix Park and Mr Pence’s ancestral homes are thought to be on the cards.
In a statement last night, the Department of Justice said: ‘Unprecedented resources of €1.76billion have been allocated to the Garda for 2019, as well as capital investment of €92million this year. This year’s allocation includes a total budget of €95million for Garda overtime.’
‘Reckless behaviour’ Pence ‘extremely welcome’