Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

In the nature of democratic politics we disagree on many issues in this House. However, I believe we are at one in condemning what have come to be known as tiger kidnappings and in offering our full sympathy to the victims of such heinous crimes.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that five tiger kidnappings have taken place to date this year. While it is a matter of public record that these included the robbery of a very substantial amount of money from the Bank of Ireland at College Green, I am advised by the Garda Commissioner that for operational reasons it is the policy not to disclose the sums involved in these incidents.

The Deputy will be aware that detailed and comprehensive protocols and response procedures have been agreed between the Garda Síochána and the financial institutions to deal with situations where members of staff or their families are taken hostage in order to facilitate robberies of such institutions. The Garda Síochána does not, for obvious security reasons, publicly disclose information relating to protocols and procedures. Regular meetings are held between the Garda Síochána and representatives of the financial institutions to discuss issues relating to their security arrangements, including the issue of tiger kidnappings.

The Deputy will be aware that the Garda Commissioner and I jointly met with the chief executives of various financial institutions last week to discuss this issue and to outline our concerns in this regard. I do not doubt the commitment of the banks to the well-being of their staff or their desire to help foil these crimes. However, it is crucial that the protocols are followed, and both the Garda Commissioner and I emphasised this to the banks at our meeting. Following that meeting, a number of further measures and policy decisions which I cannot disclose publicly at this time are being taken, including the limiting of access to cash. I will also be meeting representatives of the credit unions and the Irish Banking Federation.

I do not for a moment underestimate the pressure to which the victims of tiger kidnappings are subjected. Following my meeting last week with the heads of the major banks, I will meet later this week with representatives of employees of financial institutions to hear their views and discuss what more can be done to ensure their safety. I assure the House and the employees of financial institutions that the Garda Síochána's absolute priority when faced with an incident of this kind is to ensure that no harm comes to the victims. However, as I stated in the House last week, it is in the interest of everyone, and the staff of financial institutions in particular, that the protocols are observed. These are in place first and foremost to protect employees. It is important to recognise that we will only stop tiger kidnapping attempts by rendering them unsuccessful and thereby protecting innocent employees from being caught in them in the future.

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