James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

What better way is there to judge a Minister for Justice than to review the crime statistics? Since Deputy Shatter became Minister for Justice and Equality, crime has fallen by 16%. This includes a 10% reduction in homicides, a 14% reduction in sexual offences, a 12% reduction in robberies, a 34% reduction in public order offences and a 23% reduction in organised crime offences.

The Minister, Deputy Shatter, is not content with ensuring only that crime statistics decrease, he is a reforming Minister who has been directly involved in the drafting, publication and enactment of 40 pieces of legislation during the past three years. He has overseen referendums to reduce judges' pay in line with the pay cuts in the public sector and the introduction of a new Court of Appeal to make our court systems more efficient. Deputy Shatter has proven himself to be a compassionate Minister who is not slow to tackle the legacy issues he has inherited. As stated by others, children are no longer committed to St. Patrick's institution and a committee to investigate the Magdalen Laundries and a scheme to support and compensate the Magdalen women has been established. His expertise in family law will make a real difference in the future with the publication of the child and family relations Bill. This significantly reforms family law and most importantly enhances the protection of children.

Despite the disastrous financial situation inherited from the previous Government, the Minister, Deputy Shatter, has in respect of the three year period 2012-14 secured additional funding over and above that allocated by Fianna Fáil in its national recovery plan to ensure that An Garda Síochána can continue to deliver an effective policing service. He has also secured agreement for the recommencement of Garda recruitment. The Minister is committed to human rights, equality and the rule of law and recently published the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Bill 2014 and has pioneered an EU human rights and equality initiative. He has ensured that the backlog of applications for citizenship was addressed and secured Government approval to hold a referendum on marriage equality.

In Deputy Alan Shatter we have a Minister for Justice and Equality who is reducing crime rates, reforming our sentencing and legal systems, tackling long-standing issues and advancing human rights. We have the right man in the right job. Previous Governments dominated by Fianna Fáil swept issue after issue under the carpet. If a crisis was looming the Fianna Fáil-Deputy Martin way was to dodge it. The Minister, Deputy Shatter, does not do that. This motion is a cheap attempt by Fianna Fáil to distract the public from the job at hand, which is to restore confidence in the Garda Síochána, restore the faith of the people in the Garda Síochána and get our people back to work.

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