Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I do not believe I am doing the House a disservice at all. The Minister did it a disservice when he engaged in what was a political stunt designed to lead unfortunate victims of crime to believe that if the law were passed and if referrals were made to the Special Criminal Court under its provisions, the crime bosses responsible for directing criminal activity in this country would be locked up. However, he has now informed the House that no one has been locked up. The Minister would not facilitate the Bill being referred to the relevant committee during the summer recess so that some of the nuances and detail relating to it might have been dealt with at length. I am, therefore, under no misapprehension with regard to this matter.

The proposition that the Minister did not inspire the headlines to which I refer is certainly not believed by me. He is no mean hand at garnering headlines. Someone brought my attention to a headline in last weekend's Irish Mail on Sunday which clearly indicates that the succession race is under way.

We have now established that no crime bosses have been put behind bars as a result of this mechanism for referrals to the Special Criminal Court. Will the Minister indicate what he means when he states that elements of the Act are being used by the Garda to prepare cases? A couple of very important convictions have taken place since the House rose for the Summer recess, but these were secured under the normal system of criminal justice. Is it not the case that the evidence which must be adduced in normal criminal courts must also be adduced in the Special Criminal Court and that it is in respect of this area that a difficulty arises in the context of putting certain crime overlords into prison?

When Members return for the Minister's next Question Time, he should be able to show them some progress on foot of the brouhaha and the storm he kicked up about the necessity to put the normal criminal justice system into suspension and to invoke the powers of the Special Criminal Court. He should be able to show some progress as a result because none has been evident thus far.

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