31/05/1924: The Garda Siochana Allowances Order, 1924

GARDA SIOCHANA..

By virtue and in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 8 of the Garda Siochana (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1923, I, Caoimhghin O h-Uigin, Minister for Home Affairs, do hereby order that as from the 1st day of April, 1924, inclusive, the allowances to be paid to the several ranks of the officers and men of the Garda Siochana shall be in accordance with the rates, scales and conditions hereinbelow specified:—

(1) Any unmarried Sergeant or Guard;

(2) Any unmarried Officer for whom suitable official quarters are available, or

(3) Any married member of the Force whose family is accommodated in official quarters, or for whose family such quarters are available but not occupied.

2.—SUBSISTENCE ALLOWANCE.

(a) No claim for subsistence shall ordinarily be allowed where the absence from Station is less than 8 hours in the case of Sergeants and Guards and less than 10 hours in the case of Officers. Subject thereto, in case of necessary absence on duty, otherwise than on temporary service, the following rates of subsistence allowance shall be payable:

(b) In cases where Sergeants or Guards absent on duty from their Station receive the accommodation of a bed in barracks or where such accommodation is available, two shillings per night shall be deducted from the ordinary rate of allowance.

(c) A reduction of one-fourth shall be made in the foregoing rates of night allowances for Chief Superintendents and lower ranks after a stay of 14 nights in one place, or for the whole period if the member of the Force concerned knew beforehand that his stay would exceed 14 nights. For periods in excess of 30 nights in one place special rates shall be fixed according to the circumstances of the case.

(d) Full Subsistence Allowance for a night will not be paid for absences of less than 24 hours if the expense of lodging is not incurred.

(e) Temporary Service.

(i) Unmarried Men.—When Sergeants or Guards proceed from one Station to another on temporary service, or to a protection post, they shall, if unmarried, receive an allowance at the rate of 6d. per night for the period of absence, but not exceeding 7 nights, even though accommodated in Barracks.

(ii) Married Men.—When married Sergeants or Guards are sent on temporary service, or to a protection post, they shall receive separation subsistence allowance at the rate of 2/- per night for the period of absence, but not exceeding 30 nights, except in the case of men already separated from their families.

(iii) Provided that in the case of any Sergeant or Guard, married or unmarried, proceeding on temporary service to a place outside the Division in which he is serving, the Accounting Officer for the Garda Siochana Vote may, on the grounds of hardship or exceptional expense thereby involved, sanction a special subsistence allowance not exceeding one-half of the allowance provided for by Clause (a) of this Article.

(iv) Men in receipt of Separation Allowance shall deduct the amount of same from the Subsistence Allowance payable for a night's absence.

(v) Officers.—Officers sent on temporary service may be granted, on the recommendation of the Commissioner, a special allowance at the rate of 15/- a night for the first 30 nights of absence on such service. For periods in excess of 30 nights on temporary service special rates (not exceeding in any case 10/- a night) may be fixed, where it is shown that the absence involves unavoidable additional expense on the officer concerned.

(f) Members of the Force while under suspension who may not be reinstated may be granted, at the discretion of the Commissioner, a special subsistence allowance in lieu of pay at the following rates:—

(g) Temporary concession in respect of subsistence allowance:—

In special cases in which the Commissioner considers such a course necessary, the full normal rate of night allowance may be extended up to a maximum period of thirty nights and a monthly schedule of such cases, with explanations of the reasons for the action taken, shall be transmitted by the Commissioner to the Accounting Officer for the Garda Siochana Vote, who will ask the Minister for Finance to sanction the extra charges, if he is satisfied that they have been justifiably incurred.

3. LOCOMOTION ALLOWANCE.

(a) Locomotion allowance at the following rates shall be paid to officers in charge of Divisions and Districts who have provided themselves with motor cars, viz.:—

(i) Chief Superintendents: £160 per annum to cover all expenses of travelling within their respective Divisions.

(ii) Superintendents and Inspectors: £120 per annum to cover all expenses of travelling within the Divisions in which their respective Districts are situated.

(b) Superintendents acting as Chief Superintendents in Divisions to which Chief Superintendents have not been appointed shall be entitled to receive locomotion allowance, while so acting, at the rate appropriate to the higher rank.

(c) Locomotion Allowance at the rate of £60 per annum shall be paid to Inspectors in charge of Districts who have provided themselves with motor-cycles, to cover all expenses of travelling within the Divisions in which their respective Districts are situated.

4. CYCLING ALLOWANCE.

£5 per annum to each Sergeant and Guard who is certified by the Superintendent of his area as having in his possession a bicycle in good order and condition and as being willing to use such bicycle on the public service when ordered to do so.

5. ALLOWANCE FOR TRAVELLING ON DUTY.

(a) Sergeants and Guards will be repaid their actual train fare (3rd Class) when travelling on duty, except for patrol duty; or if a train is not available, the cost of the least expensive form of special conveyance. All such travelling expenses shall be certified by the Superintendent of the District in which the claimant is stationed. In any case where special cars are hired it must be clearly shown why bicycles could not have been used.

(b) Officers: Officers proceeding on duty to Headquarters or other places outside the Division in which they are stationed shall receive their actual expenses of travelling as certified. Chief Superintendents shall be allowed first-class and Superintendents and Inspectors second-class train fares. Where second-class is not available, Superintendents and Inspectors may be allowed first-class fares. Officers stationed at Headquarters shall receive the actual travelling expenses incurred by them on duty. Public conveyance shall be utilised where possible.

6. TRANSFER EXPENSES.

Members of the Force transferred from one station to another (unless transferred as a punishment or at their own request) shall be allowed expenses of transfer within such limitations and subject to such conditions as may from time to time be fixed by the Minister for Home Affairs with the sanction of the Minister for Finance.

7. UNIFORM ALLOWANCE.

(a) Officers: £50 on first appointment and an annual maintenance allowance of £15 after the first year. The allowance of £50 will not be paid on promotion from one officer rank to another.

(b) Sergeants and Guards: Where uniform is not supplied and fitted by a Contractor, an allowance shall be given for making up uniform at such rates as may from time to time be approved.

8. BOOT ALLOWANCE.

Sergeants and Guards: 1/6 per week.

9.—DETECTIVE AND PLAIN CLOTHES ALLOWANCES.

Members of the Force employed, under the authority of the Commissioner, on detective duty in plain clothes shall be granted a plain clothes allowance at the rate of 5/- per week while so employed, together with an allowance of 7/- per week to cover casual expenses incidental to detective work: provided that men engaged on detective duty in plain clothes shall not be paid the plain clothes allowance unless so employed for at least 7 days within a calendar month.

These allowances shall not be payable to men engaged merely on clerical duties in connection with detective work.

10.—PRIVATE SECRETARY TO THE COMMISSIONER.

An allowance at the rate of £150 per annum shall be paid to the Officer acting as Private Secretary to the Commissioner.

11.—In the case of duty of an exceptional character, or in any special circumstances not provided for in this order, the Minister for Home Affairs, on the recommendation of the Commissioner, and with the concurrence of the Minister for Finance, may fix such allowance as he shall consider to be appropriate.

12.—None of the allowances specified in this Order shall be taken into account for the purpose of computing the pension or gratuity of any member of the Force, or the pension, gratuity or allowance of the wife, child or dependant of any member of the Force.

13.—In this Order the word "Force" means the Garda Siochana.

14.—This Order may be cited as the Garda Siochana Allowances Order, 1924.

Dated this 31st day of May, 1924.

(Signed), C. O h-UIGÍN,

Minister for Home Affairs.

I hereby sanction the foregoing Order.

(Signed), EARNÁN DE BLAGHD,

Minister for Finance.