Gay Mitchell (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)

I have not seen that, but I am glad to hear it.

There are two other issues I want to mention, one of which I mentioned at some length in the House some time ago. When most people thought I was going to take up the time of the House talking about local issues, I spent a considerable amount of time talking about crime statistics. Many years ago I published a Private Members' Bill, the Bureau of Crime Statistics Bill because I have held the view for a very long time that if something cannot be measured it cannot be dealt with. If we do not know which areas are successful, we will end up putting resources into areas that are not. There has been some improvement in the compilation of statistics, but the compilation of statistics and the independent measurement of crime will lead to greater accountability.

I went through this issue in considerable detail and quoted at length CompStat in New York, the experience of Mayor Giuliani, and how they had changed the whole process by providing for accountability. Those who were successful were praised and those who were not, called to account. Will the Minister tell the House how this independent measurement of crime statistics will operate under the new legislation and if he is happy that the concerns I raised in some detail on the last occasion are being dealt with?

Many in this House probably would not see me as a great civil libertarian, although I hold myself to be one who stands up for the rule of law and would be concerned about any abuses of the law. I am concerned about growing infringements of the rights of citizens. There is passport control at Dublin Airport and ports generally. If I am not correct, perhaps the Minister will say so but I believe there is no obligation whatsoever on the part of an Irish citizen to show his or her passport to anybody within Ireland. If one is on an Aer Lingus flight, one will be asked to show one's passport, not for verification but to ensure it is up to date and that on arrival at one's destination one will be allowed to access the country in question. I do not have my passport in my pocket but the preamble states the Minister for Foreign Affairs asks other friendly nations to assist the bearer who is a citizen. I ask the Minister to confirm that if Irish citizens arrive at an Irish airport or port and have some form of identification to show that, say, one is a Member of the Oireachtas, it is not necessary to show one's passport to anybody within the State.

It is easy to show one's passport and walk through. Some do this as a matter of convenience but it should not become a right and we should know this. That people do it as a matter of convenience should not erode their right to independently decide they have a clear form of identification which shows they are not a foreign person who does not have the right to access the country. This may seem a trivial point but it is not. All of these safeguards and rights in place for citizens should not be easily thrown away. I do not say any necessary law should not be in place but if a law needs to be put in place, put it in place without eroding the rights of citizens. I hope the Bill has the effect that the Minister——

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