Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

I share the Deputy's point of view on firearms to some extent but the figures to which he referred are not quite right. In 1998, for example, four murders involving firearms took place. That increased to 12 in 1999, stayed at 12 in 2000, decreased to nine in 2001, increased to ten in 2002, increased to 20 in 2003 and decreased to nine last year. This year the figure has already reached nine. It is not true to say that the situation has never been as bad as it is at present. There were four detections in respect of the ten murders committed in 2002, ten of the 20 murders in 2003 resulted in detections and in respect of the nine murders in 2004 there were six detections. It is not as black a picture in terms of detection as the Deputy suggests.

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