Reducing Garda regions from six to three to deal with "huge inefficiences'' was suggested by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform ahead of the budget, according to official documents released yesterday .

Replying to the Department of Justice’s pre-budget submission, the department said there were 12,909 gardaí, at least 400 of whom were on administrative duties. It said various reports by the Garda Inspectorate and others suggested there was great scope for reform and greater operational efficiencies in the force.

It added that 11 per cent of the Garda force was civilian, compared with an international average of 33 per cent.

A whole suite of reform measures was available and an opportunity for extensive restructuring existed, it said. The current structure of six regions, 28 divisions, 110 districts and 624 stations had not been examined since the foundation of the State, the department understood.

‘Huge inefficiencies’

“That would suggest huge structural and organisational inefficiencies,’’ it added.

“We think that this should be subject to detailed analysis, much in the same way that the health service and local government has.’’

The department said there was “scope to halve the number of regions and significantly consolidate the divisional and district structures’’.

It noted, gardaí received accelerated pensions over 30 years, rather than 40, because of the nature of the job. However, by international standards, relatively few gardaí retired upon reaching that point, with about 250-300 doing so every year.

It suggested that a medium- term recruitment plan to replace gardaí with appropriate technical-professional civilian staff to carry out non-policing duties should be put in place. Reform should be a priority in the next few years, it added.

8,000 pensioners

The Department of Justice submission observed that the Garda Síochána vote, €1.503 billion in 2011, accounted for more than 64 per cent of gross current expenditure in the justice sector. Apart from the salaries and allowances of serving gardaí and civilian employees, 8,000 Garda pensioners were also paid from the vote, it added.

The submission said that, in all, 90 per cent of expenditure in the Garda vote related to pay and pensions.

On budget day, Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald announced 200 gardaí would be recruited over the next four months.

The Department of Justice submission said the transfer of responsibility for prisoner healthcare to the Department of Health and the HSE could generate savings of €4 million-€5 million annually, after an initial investment.

The department noted the current cost, which is the responsibility of the Irish Prison Service, was in the region of €18 million annually and estimated its proposal could generate savings of €4 million to €5 million annually from the third year onwards.