Michael Conaghan (Dublin South Central, Labour)

The key point is that the figures for burglaries have spiralled and detection rates have plummeted. That is very worrying as the people involved seem to feel they will not be apprehended, which comes from the knowledge that very little forensic work is being done at the site of these crimes. I know that from my experience.

I thank the Minister of State for her response. I wonder if the failure to conduct adequate forensic work is a resource issue for An Garda Síochána and if adequate resources are being provided for gardaí to conduct this important work. I doubt that is the case. This form of work should be among the most inexpensive to carry out, and in comparison with other crimes and forms of detection, and taking into account the extensive co-operation which gardaí receive from the community, the cost of this work is relatively low. I ask the Minister of State to ensure that sufficient resources are made available for this most important work so the problems behind the statistics we have seen published this past week can be tackled effectively.

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