Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would like to ask the Taoiseach about the high-level report on the Department of Justice and Equality, which was produced by Mr. Ó Ríordáin and which, according to Mr. Pat Leahy, makes some important points regarding accountability and the budget and resources of An Garda Síochána. When will that be published? Will the Dáil get a chance to discuss it?

Why was there no public competition for the position of Secretary General of the Department of Justice and Equality? The latter is a key Department of Government. Everybody believes that most government-related jobs should be filled through public competition. Why was there no competition in this case? The appointee, Mr. O'Driscoll, has a fine track record but we would have expected a public competition.

The justice matter I particularly want to ask about is based on the Central Statistics Office, CSO, report on recorded crime in the year to the end of March 2018. Many people find the contents very disturbing and disappointing. The statistics show a general significant increase in crime across nearly all categories. For example, sexual offences rose by almost 15%, to over 3,000. Attempts of threats to murder, assault and harass were up nearly 14%, to over 19,000 crimes. Robbery, extortion and hijacking rose by 16%, and theft and related offences were up 8%, to almost 70,000 crimes. Damage to property rose by 5%, to over 23,000 offences. Homicides show a decline in this period but, of course, the statistics do not include the terrible second quarter of 2018 in which there seemed to have been an appalling homicide almost every second day.

These figures are published by the CSO as statistics under reservation due to ongoing concerns about the quality of data from An Garda Síochána's PULSE database. What steps is the Taoiseach taking to address this very worrying increase in crime during his period in office and when will the CSO be in a position to publish regular crime statistics without qualification?

These shocking crime statistics are echoed in episodes of appalling antisocial and criminal behaviour in districts of my constituency and the north division of the Garda Dublin metropolitan region. During the Taoiseach's period in office, there has been a significant upsurge in antisocial behaviour, thefts, intimidation, harassment, joyriding and serious drug-related crimes. I have in front of me a petition from 200 residents from a district of the north fringe of Dublin city who are complaining bitterly about the recent spate of thefts of cars, motorbikes and bicycles from their new homes. They are demanding a permanent Garda presence in this vast, new urban district.

In the period to mid-2014, when the Taoiseach was a Minister, the then Government decimated Garda numbers. Every time our local Garda personnel respond - under Chief Superintendent Curran and his officers in the north division of the Dublin metropolitan region - they outline their policing plans but they talk about very tight budgets and the problem of the reducing number of personnel in several districts. The Taoiseach will probably respond with the mantra about having 21,000 Garda personnel by 2021 but there have been no staff increases in the north division of the Dublin metropolitan region, only cuts. There is a report in the media that overtime budgets are being cut by up to 40%. Can the Taoiseach confirm whether this is the case and whether the Garda budget of €1.65 billion for 2018 is adequate?

There has been a generally positive welcome for the appointment of the new Garda Commissioner, Mr. Drew Harris. I welcome his appointment. Will the Taoiseach give him the resources and tools to transform An Garda Síochána from September and to deal with the growing lawlessness that has been a feature of the Taoiseach's period in office?

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