Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

I welcome, however, the significant decrease of 27% in the number of incidents of robbery of cash and goods in transit, down from 62 in 2004 to 45 in 2005. This trend improved in the fourth quarter, with a decrease of 47%.

Operation Delivery, an initiative undertaken by the Garda Síochána to counteract the increase in cash in transit robberies which emerged in 2004 has contributed significantly to this welcome decrease. The code of practice put in place by the major financial institutions and security companies has dramatically improved the situation. I took a direct hand in bringing about the requisite partnership approach among all those involved in the industry to ensure that decent standards were applied.

Deputy O'Keeffe raised the issue of the number of crimes committed by people on bail. In the 2004 report the Garda Commissioner, for the first time, published the number of offences committed by perpetrators who were on bail. In the term of the rainbow Government the number of prisoners on temporary release reached an all-time high of 20%. It is now 2.3%. That is an important figure.

With regard to the people who have been specified by the Garda Commissioner as having committed offences while on bail, it should be borne in mind that these are gross figures. We do not know, for example, whether they were serious offences on which the perpetrators were out on bail at the time they committed the offence which is dealt with by the Commissioner's report. We are not told that by the figures. We will study the figures to ensure that this issue is dealt with.

A bail Act was passed on foot of a referendum. Under that legislation, gardaí are now entitled to oppose bail for persons who are charged with serious offences on a number of grounds, including the gravity of the offence and the likelihood of bail being abused to commit a separate, serious offence. The gardaí continue to apply to courts in serious cases not to grant bail where they believe, in line with the statutory criteria, further offences are likely to be committed. They are not always successful in those applications.

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