Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I note the Taoiseach finds it difficult to believe the figures, for which I do not blame him. However, the figures on which I rely were provided in response to a parliamentary question. That reply from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform stated: "The number of bench warrants, penal warrants and committal warrants which were recorded on the PULSE system as being on hand on 25 November 2007".

It is not the first time the problem has arisen, if not the scale of the problem. The Comptroller and Auditor General in his report states "unexecuted bench warrants are still increasing at an annual rate of about a quarter of the number issued". Indeed, the previous Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform introduced Operation Anvil, which was designed to address the problem of people who were at large despite bench warrants having issued against them. There is clearly a problem in this regard.

When the Criminal Justice Bill was before the House last year, the Labour Party through Deputy Howlin proposed that where warrants are issued for the arrest of people, there should be some system whereby when those people interface again with the State, whether through a social welfare office, FÁS office, HSE centre or other arm of the State, the Garda can be alerted to the fact they are out there. Such a system might operate through the use of PPS numbers or otherwise. The Government did not accept the proposal. Will the Taoiseach consider introducing some such measure? There is clearly a huge problem with people whom judges have decided should be arrested, either because they have been convicted of a crime and have not yet been arrested or because they have not appeared in court. A much more effective system is required than the one we appear to have at present.

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