Cecilia Keaveney (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)

If Operation Tombola was to follow me for a day, I would find a few fireworks. I am glad this issue is being addressed and, while some people make the case for an outright ban, the problem is that fireworks are currently banned but continue to be used. We need to decide which fireworks are safe. Some are more like mini-bombs than fireworks.

As with any other aspect of criminal justice, enforcement is important but not sufficient. Other issues in terms of training, education and regulation also arise. The situation will not be addressed by focussing solely on enforcement. Fireworks are illegal but the law is not being sufficiently enforced.

I wish to address the issue of funding for institutions that deal with domestic violence, although it may not be directly relevant to the Bill under discussion. Significant efforts are ongoing in my county to provide support in terms of drop-in centres and telephone helplines. Many of these operate through a part-time FÁS service. Difficulties arise in terms of funding because the centres are successful and greater numbers of people are contacting them. The centres' efforts may be directed towards finding funding for the following year rather than concentrating on people who are seeking their help. The part-time nature of centres means that people are not available at certain times. It is important to deal with the victims of crime as well as the perpetrators. In terms of rehabilitation, the domestic violence support network should be addressed. There is a huge level of anti-social behaviour taking place. Such behaviour is manifested by the consumption of a large amount of alcohol, the taking of drugs, the use of fireworks or in other ways. I propose that discussion, if it has not already taken place, would take place across the relevant Departments to accept that there is a problem and to ascertain if it could be addressed by an interdepartmental approach. It is not a question of they adopting a big stick approach to addressing this problem. Some people who engaged in anti-social behaviour have been diverted from it by being encouraged to participate in sport, but not everyone is interested in sport. While we have excellent sporting facilities, particularly in the past eight or nine years, a youth officer-type person might not be available to co-ordinate such activity. It is as much the role of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform as any other Department to address the needs in this area. If we are trying to keep such people out of prison by encouraging them to become involved in activity that is constructive, the needs in that area need to be addressed.

As to the notion that all such offenders should come under the juvenile liaison officer system, some offenders are frightened by it and the system works in their case, but other offenders have no fear of it and it does not work in their case. The JLO system needs to be reviewed in terms of dealing with hardened criminals who need to be dealt with in a particular way. Alternatively, in the case of offenders who are not hardened criminals, imaginative initiatives need to be explored. In that context, I envisage a role for the arts as much as for sport and education in the development of diversionary projects. I would like to think the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform would discuss with the Minister for Arts, Tourism and Sport the possibility of funding being made available to assist offenders to be diverted to participate in arts projects, either in the visual arts or in music, composition or other such activities.

Another issue, which I tried but was unable to raise by way of parliamentary question to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, relates to a recent series of bomb threats in my constituency in respect of which there was a difficulty in tracing the mobile phone used. It can be difficult to trace the ownership of pay as you go mobile telephones. I raised the lack of registration of ownership of such phones with the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources when he was dealing with the issue of safety in terms of minors using mobile phones. From the perspective of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, there is a security issue regarding the use and tracing of the ownership of such phones. It is a matter the Minister present could raise with the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources.

When one purchases a pay as you go mobile phone in the North, one must produce a utility bill or other documentation to prove one's identify while in the South all one need give is one's name and one could cite any name. There is no requirement to show proof of one's identity. If such a phone is used in criminal activity, it is probably possible to trace the owner of the phone but the process is much slower than if a registration system were in place. That issue has cropped up of late.

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