Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has failed on two key performance indicators. Detection rates have decreased under his stewardship and the incidence of headline crimes is rising on an annual basis. If he survives until next year, he will have presided over 500,000 headline crimes during his tenure as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. This is an appalling shambles of which the Tánaiste is part.

As Deputy Rabbitte pointed out yesterday, only 12 of the 75 murders committed with weapons between 1998 and 2004 resulted in convictions. On 28 February the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform was unable to inform Deputy Jim O'Keeffe of the number of outstanding arrest warrants. I agree with the Tánaiste when she refers to evil and dangerous people but they should not be walking the streets. We do not blame an inadequately resourced police force that cannot implement bench warrants or committal warrants. Donna Cleary lies dead, God rest her soul, but she would be alive if this person had been in jail as he should have been. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, who is absent from the Chamber again today, wishes to wash his hands of all responsibility like some modern day Pontius Pilate.

I have made a practical suggestion. The Opposition has agreed to facilitate the Government if it wishes to deal with elements of gun legislation in the Criminal Justice Bill next week. We should deal with gun amnesties and mandatory jail sentences for gun possession. We should have a reaction that can be implemented rather than the Taoiseach stating one thing on Monday, something different on Tuesday and yesterday's Government spokesperson statement that no proposals exist to address this. Where are the consequences of the watershed to which the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform referred? What will the Government do? It seems the Minister's recent lecture is accurate except the sandwich has gone stale and the meat has gone off.

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