Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Commissioner Callinan, his staff and the officials from the Departments. I record my deep appreciation of the work of the Garda Síochána. Given the constituency I represent, I am very conscious that many gardaí go to great lengths to serve the public with courage and conviction. It is very important to note this. Perhaps it is because they are very visible and on the front line, but I particularly notice it with community gardaí who do a great deal in liaising with the communities in which they work.

Some time ago I asked the Commissioner at the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality and Defence about white collar crime. Looking at statistics from 2003 to 2011, I notice that there was a significant decrease in the number of convictions from 579 in 2003 to 308 in 2005. The number increased to 352 in 2007 but decreased to 300 in 2009 and to its lowest level of 178 in 2010. The conviction rate increased again to 223 in 2012. I realise I am pointing to crude statistics, but there is huge concern among the general public about the slow pace of some of the investigations into the banking industry and the things which went awry in it. Does the Garda have adequate resources to deal with white collar and, most particularly, the issue about which the general public is particularly concerned, namely, the misdemeanours in the banking industry?