THE OIREACHTAS WATCHDOG into public spending is to question the Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan today over allowances paid to Gardaí.

A total of 108 allowances are payable to Gardaí with 11 currently earmarked for withdrawal under a plan to reduce the number of allowances paid to public sector employees.

The allowances which are to be withdrawn include a bicycle allowance and an allowance for employees who work regular hours and are unable to earn overtime pay for working unsocial hours.

Gardaí can currently receive allowances for working as crime scene examiners or immigration officers, a plain clothes allowance, a boot allowance and a public holiday allowance, among others.

Committee chairman John McGuinness of Fianna Fáil signalled that the questions will be focused on how the current allowance system can be simplified or streamlined rather than looking for any more allowances to be abolished.

“We are aware that many of the allowances paid to Gardaí reflect the unique nature of their work,” McGuinness said. “Many of these have been negotiated over time and are deemed necessary to the work of the police force”.

The Commissioner is due to appear before the Public Accounts Committee from 2pm this afternoon.

The Dáil and Seanad are both on holiday this week with sittings due to resume early next week. A number of committees are sitting while the Oireachtas is in recess.

Yesterday the Oireachtas finance committee  questioned executives from the Irish Business Resolution Corporation – formerly Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide – about finances at the bank. Chairman Alan Dukes revealed that the final cost of winding up the bank to the State is likely to be around €25 billion,  rather than previous estimates of between €29 billion and €34 billion.

Read: Final cost of IBRC is to be €25 billion >