The Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) has warned that its current level of funding is not sufficient for it to effectively deliver a modern prosecution service.
As a result of the lack of funding, it says there is a risk to its reputation as well as a significant risk that criminal cases may not be prosecuted effectively.
The warning came in a letter written to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform which was released to RTÉ's Saturday with Colm Ó Mongáin programme.
In the letter, which was part of its pre-budget submission for 2023, the Acting Deputy Director of the Office, Elizabeth Howlin informed the department that its workload had increased by 41% in the four years between 2017 and 2021.
She said the DPP's Office had seen an 820% increase in cases relating to financial crime and fraud, which she said was "resource-intensive case work", requiring teams of legal staff.
"Prosecutions arising from financial crime and corruption are in general very large complex cases, which require comprehensive expertise and resourcing," she wrote.
Sexual offences are also on the increase, with the DPP's Office now dealing with close to 1,770 such offences each year. She said there is a need to appropriately resource the Sexual Offences Unit to properly manage such sensitive files.
Ms Howlin added: "It is critically important to the administration of justice that this Office is appropriately resourced to manage the volume of cases it now receives as well as its disclosure obligations with regard to the volume of data involved."
The DPP said that it required an increase in its basic funding of between €12m and €15m, but was requesting initial additional funding of €9m for 2023.
However, a spokesperson for the Office of the DPP confirmed to Saturday with Colm Ó'Mongáin that this request has not been fully met.
Instead it said the Office was granted an additional €6.5m, some €2.5m short of what was requested.
The Office says it is now facing "acute funding pressures" after requests for additional resources were not met over successive years and budgets.
The increase in the workload for the Office was attributed in large part to the recruitment of additional gardaí and the appointment of extra judges in recent years.
The Office of the DPP also raised concerns that fees paid to barristers last year were more than had been projected. Fees paid to Counsel were €2.5m to the end of July last year, a level of funding that it warned was "clearly not sustainable for this Office".
However, barristers are concerned about cuts to their pay.
Last week, a protest was held outside courts around the country by barristers, to highlight the impact of cuts first introduced in 2008, followed by further cuts under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI).
The Bar Council of Ireland says that because criminal barristers have not had their pay restored, this is contributing to a retention crisis, with two thirds of those commencing a career in criminal justice then leaving after an average of six years of practice.
The Chair of the Bar Council, Sara Phelan, said there was a need to consider the implications of an increased workload on everyone working within the criminal justice system.
"Any increased investment in the criminal justice system, including the Office of the DPP, is welcome but simply put, its effectiveness is hampered, if not met by adequate investment in Counsel-front line services," she said.
In a statement, the Department of Justice said the resourcing of the DPP did not come under its remit.
However, it acknowledged that an increase in garda numbers has had an impact on the workload of the Office of the DPP.
The Department said it was "acutely conscious of the downstream impacts of increased resources in one area of the criminal justice system".
It said it worked to ensure that all agencies within the criminal justice sector were aware of and equipped to deal with the "anticipated demands".
Referring to increased spending on the Courts Service, the Prison Service and also on early intervention programmes, to prevent offending in recent years, the Department of Justice said they continue "to invest strategically in the criminal justice system, to ensure it is cohesive and delivers for those who need to interact with it".
