Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy is incorrect regarding the legislation passed by the Oireachtas in July 2009. I understand from the Garda Síochána that both the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, which pertained to the issue of gun culture and the licensing of guns and which also effected an increase in the penalties for knife crime and the Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Act are being actively used. As for the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act, which was the major legislation pertaining to gangland crime, the Deputy may be aware, because it has entered the public domain, that a number of significant cases have come before the Director of Public Prosecutions who is independent and makes his decisions independently.

I note this law was contested as often as possible by outside interests. I acknowledge this was valid as people are entitled to make criticisms of legislation. In this case, a number of leading lawyers penned their name to a letter to make known their views on this legislation, albeit they were fewer in number than those lawyers who took the same action when the former Minister, Mr. McDowell, introduced a previous Bill in 2007. Obviously, the preparation of a Garda file in respect of such a matter takes a considerable amount of time. However, the Garda must be congratulated on its ability in this regard since the passage of this legislation. I know for a fact that in the run-up to the legislation, the Garda was well apprised of its possible implications and had done much preparatory work before the legislation was passed in anticipation of its passage. There were those in the House who stated that it should not pass before the summer but should be left over.

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