Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. We are all concerned about criminals being brought to justice. I am glad that good progress has been made on the Kevin Lunney case through a joint operation involving the PSNI and An Garda Síochána.

The Government is absolutely committed to combating crime. In that regard, we have increased resources to An Garda Síochána. Some €1.76 billion has been allocated to the Garda Vote for 2019. This will increase to an unprecedented €1.882 billion for 2020. Significant capital investment is also being made. The capital investment of €92 million in An Garda Síochána this year represented a 50% increase on 2018. Capital investment will increase further, to €116.5 million, in 2020. Garda numbers are increasing. We are on track for the Government's target of an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 by 2021.

The Government is also supporting the ongoing process of Garda reform through A Policing Service for the Future, the implementation plan for the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. The purpose of this plan is to ensure the best possible policing services for communities now and in the future. Decisions on the best use of these resources are operational matters for the Garda Commissioner. Policing decisions are for policing experts. The Commissioner has stated that organised crime groups continue to operate and remain a significant threat and that Garda success in this area was, in no small measure, due to available law. The purpose of this unprecedented funding and support for reform is to ensure the possible policing services are provided to communities on the ground, in rural and urban areas, now and in the future. Decisions on the best use of these resources are, as I have said, an operational matter for the Commissioner. Policing decisions are for police experts.

With regard to the new legislation in respect of the Criminal Assets Bureau, the Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Act 2016 gives additional powers to An Garda Síochána. These include the power to immediately seize assets suspected of being the proceeds of crime to prevent them being disposed of. The system established under the Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence and DNA Database System) Act 2014 provides An Garda Síochána with links between people and unsolved crimes. The Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009 was introduced to protect the justice system from subversion by criminal groups, including through the intimidation of juries. The Commissioner has said that, as of July 2019, there have been 354 arrests since the 2009 Act came into force.

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