Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In most State authorities, statistics play a significant role in resource allocation. In the case of An Garda Síochána, it is personnel. The Commissioner is no doubt aware, as are all Members of both Houses, that information provided to the Garda at a local level is extremely important in terms of the public perception or interpretation of the performance of the Garda in terms of detection rates and so on. We have had issues with the statistics, as the Commissioner is aware. The Central Statistics Office, CSO, is standing over the statistics and publishing them. I am happy that more recent reports indicate at the bottom that they are produced by the CSO. However, the CSO assesses and produces information for joint policing committees, JPCs, and for this House based on core information provided to it by An Garda Síochána. In the Commissioner's opening statement, she has called into question whether statistics from PULSE and elsewhere are valid. The figures being produced on behalf of the Garda by the CSO are, therefore, potentially flawed. We earlier talked about the flaws in the cultural approach of An Garda Síochána which have led to this. Can we believe the figures that are being produced by An Garda Síochána?