Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Mr. Goebbels used to say that truth was the enemy of the state. I asked the Taoiseach a question. He has a pile of statistics in front of him. Deputy Bruton used figures supplied by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, according to which on 31 December 2004, there were 3,740 gardaí in the Dublin metropolitan area, and on 31 December 2005, there were 3,742 in the same area. Is that figure right or not? Is it correct or incorrect — yes or no?

The figures the Taoiseach has read out seem to indicate that he is trying to portray a lessening of aggression on the streets, a diminution in killing by firearms, and a lower incidence of murder on streets around the country. That is not the case. Under the stewardship of this Minister and his predecessor, detection rates have fallen continually. Those detection rates and the rise of serious crime are the key performance indicators by which this Minister and the Government will be judged. This refers not only to headline crime but to rape, assault, murder, possession of guns, larceny and so on.

Why were 65% of assaults undetected in Bray compared with 21% undetected in Santry last year? Why were 72% of robberies undetected in Clondalkin compared with 36.8% in Crumlin? Why must gardaí use their mobile phones to communicate when they are up against the most sophisticated criminal underworld this country has ever seen? Does that not indicate a total failure by the Minister to supply the gardaí with the equipment to do the job the people want them to do? Why are community police not deployed more often at weekends and at night on streets and in estates throughout the country where people want to see them?

There is a crying need for the comfort of knowing that uniformed gardaí are on patrol. Why is this not happening? Why has there been no review of effective rostering to get gardaí out on the streets where people want to see them? Is it not a fact that fundamentally the commitment in terms of garda numbers given by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform cannot be met and, despite all the hype, rhetoric, bluster and intervention, will not be met?

It remains a fact that there is aggression on the streets, the incidence of gun crime, assault, robbery and serious assault is increasing, and the level of detection has fallen under this Government's stewardship. Surely that is an indication of failure at a time when law and order have become fundamental to the lives, fears, safety and concerns of our citizens.

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