Justice allocated €6.2bn in Budget 2026

Compared to last year’s budget, an extra €330 million in current expenditure has been allocated to justice, while capital expenditure is up by 11.4 per cent to €390 million.

An Garda Síochána’s budget has grown by 4.8 per cent to €110 million, with €77 million additional funding to allow recruitment of up to a further 1,000 trainee gardaí in 2026.

The Prison Service will receive €39 million, up eight per cent on the previous year.

The Courts Service is to receive €11 million, an eight per cent increase, which will allow the service to hire additional staff to support the appointment of 20 additional udges.

The criminal legal aid scheme will benefit from an additional €27 million, while the compensation scheme for personal injuries criminally inflicted will also receive a €5 million boost.

The Data Protection Commission will receive a 10.2 per cent boost in order to build its capacity and recruit 24 additional staff.

Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, will also receive a five per cent boost to provide additional staffing to work on complaints and investigations, as well as speed up the initial admissibility and initial investigation processes.

The €390m capital allocation for 2026 will allow for significant investment in Garda stations, prisons and court buildings, including the new family courts complex at Hammond Lane in Dublin.