Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

To paraphrase the unfortunate words of a UK special advisor on 9/11, yesterday was a good day to bury bad news. While the Government was taking the unprecedented step of expelling a Russian diplomat in solidarity with another country, the Taoiseach's Department managed to get out the bad news, publishing the reports on the Strategic Communications Unit and the Collins report on the Department of Justice and Equality. Despite the report finding no evidence of wrongdoing, the Government has decided to wind down the Unit. The defence put forward by Ministers, do not hit me with a civil servant in my arms, completely misses the point. It was a Government decision to establish the unit and politicise Government communications.

These are important matters, but pale in comparison with the report published today. The Central Statistics Office, CSO, is an independent agency of this State which gathers information on economic, social and general activities and conditions in Ireland. It plays an essential role in informing the people and policymakers. It is independent but answerable to the Department of the Taoiseach. Today, it has published crime statistics for the first time since last June, a remarkable fact in itself. Those figures show a substantial increase in homicides. They show that there has been an 18% increase in reported homicides, an additional 234 incidents between 2003 and 2016. A caveat has been added to the previous CSO data of 2015. The statistics have been published under reservation, an action that is doubly troubling to those of us who place our trust in the institutions of this State. The independent agency has made observations about the recording and classification of crime. These crimes cover infanticide, dangerous driving causing death, manslaughter and murder. As I say, the revisions go back over 15 years to 2003, with an average of 18 extra deaths now classified as homicides each year. It is a matter of serious concern and has come to light due to the work of two civilian officers in the Garda statistics unit.

That homicides figures might have been reduced surreptitiously or by poor practice is an affront to our society. The public needs to have confidence that we have accurate recordings of the most serious crimes, that they are properly investigated and that our statistics are accurately reported. The Garda Commissioner has said that he is concerned about the shortage of supervision in the force. This echoes the criticism of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, AGSI, about the shortage of supervisors. What action will the Taoiseach take to ensure our front-line gardaí are provided with the training and supervision that they need? Moreover, in light of the revelations about homicide statistics, will there be an independent investigation into how this happened? What other areas of crime statistics are currently being reviewed?

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