Gerard Murphy (Cork North West, Fine Gael)

We have had long discussions on the idea of restorative justice, yet only two such schemes are in operation — in Tallaght and Nenagh. Both have been extremely successful. Instead of running around introducing legislation, the Minister should have introduced the restorative justice scheme nationally. We have talked about non-custodial sentences and community service, but the Government has done nothing to establish such a system. Deputy Costello prepared an excellent study on community policing on behalf of the Labour Party, which clearly showed that good community gardaí are extremely effective in preventing crime. However, community policing remains the poor relation of the Garda Síochána's structures, instead of being a central plank in the fight against crime.

Everybody agrees that we need tough sentences and strict prison regimes for murderers, sex offenders and drug dealers. We do not want them passing on their evil skills to young people sentenced for minor offences. My point is a simple one: longer sentences and extra power for the Garda Síochána alone will not solve our crime rate. We must begin to tackle the problem at its source. The resources are there to set up a nationwide system of restorative justice and community service. We also have the resources to establish a really effective community police force, as suggested by Deputy Costello's report, which was accepted unanimously by the Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights.

I am not talking about additional expenditure but about the more sensible use of financial resources that are already being spent on the prison system by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. There is a lack of expenditure on our probation services. The taxpayer is paying at least €90,000 per annum to detain a prisoner. It is an expensive form of punishment from the taxpayer's viewpoint if all it achieves is the training of young offenders to commit even more serious crimes when they are released. The money should be spent on preventative schemes such as community policing and addressing disadvantage before the damage is done. Much of this money could also be spent on supporting and re-integrating prisoners on their release.

The Bill may give the impression that it will solve our serious crime problems. I have no doubt that it will give the impression to certain people, before the election, that the Minister is again trying to take on the issue of serious crime that has developed at an unprecedented rate over the past ten years. Everyone accepts that is the case. It happened on this Minister's watch and on this Government's watch. This Bill is not the way to deal with the matter because it is aimed at plastering over cracks in the system. We must adopt a holistic approach in order to deal with this problem. The Government has had ten years in which to do so. The Minister should recognise that laws providing for imprisonment and other punishments will not, of themselves, solve the difficulty. We must pay much more attention to how we run our society, operate the prison service and impose punishments. We must prevent our young people from becoming involved in crime in the first instance. Rushing a Bill through the Oireachtas in the space of a week will not serve community or national interests well. It is only a public relations exercise to try to get the Minister through the next few weeks and prevent the extermination of his party.

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