Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

My question refers to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. In an article in The Sunday Business Post on 19 August 2007 the Director of Public Prosecutions is reported to have said "his office is struggling to provide advice to the government on major legal issues including proposed legislation due to staff shortages". He goes on to state that he is having difficulty keeping up with requirements under European law and requests from international bodies. More worryingly, he goes on to say "that the establishment of a fully resourced prosecution policy unit was essential to cope with the increase in prosecutions work taken by gardaí under the Garda Síochána Act 2005". I am sure the Taoiseach will agree that whatever about its scale, we have a serious crime problem and when the Garda does its work, assembles a case and sends the file to the DPP, we should not have a situation where the DPP's work in prosecuting matters and in carrying out the functions of his office are held up because of lack of staff. I listened to the Taoiseach's opening reply where I understand some staff has been sanctioned but there are 14.5 vacancies in the Office of the DPP and some delays are due to problems with accommodation. We all know the difficulties the Garda have in investigating cases on a daily basis, but surely it is possible to resolve the staffing shortages in the DPP's office to ensure the prosecution service of the State is operating with the greatest efficiency.

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