Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 8: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the efforts taken to reduce the level of crime directed against tourists to Ireland; the response of his Department to crime against tourists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8261/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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A number of initiatives have been undertaken by the community relations section of the Garda Síochána during the last ten years in response to crime directed against tourists. Crime prevention cards and booklets are made available to tourists through airports, car hire firms, tourist accommodation and at tourist attractions. These provide information on personal security and give advice on issues such as keeping money safe, where to park safely in urban centres and advice on traffic laws.

There is regular and ongoing contact between the Irish Tourist Assistance Service and the Garda community relations section with the object of further improving the police service for tourists, in particular in such areas as language, cultural and environmental difficulties and unreported crimes. In addition data on crimes reported to the service are made available to inform future policing needs for tourists. Each year Garda divisional officers from the Dublin metropolitan region participate in the annual conference of the service.

The Garda community relations section also provides input to the training needs of the volunteers who provide a service to tourist crime victims. This service was provided with funding totalling €50,000 in 2005 by the Commission for the Support of Victims of Crime and is based in offices provided by the Garda Síochána in its Harcourt Square premises. Neighbourhood policing units in Dublin also provide tourist assistance in areas where criminal activity against tourists is at times a problem.

I am pleased to note that there were significant reductions in 2005 in the incidence of robbery from the person, which was down 23%, and theft from the person, down 18%, the crimes that most affect tourists.

The Garda Síochána this year has the highest level of resources in its history —€1,290 million, which represents an increase of €146 million or 13% on 2005. The provision for Garda overtime in 2006 is €83.5 million, an increase of €23 million on the allocation for 2005. This increase will greatly assist the planned deployment of a visible policing service in a flexible, effective and targeted response to criminal activity and to crime prevention, including criminal activity as it affects tourists. The €83.5 million in overtime will yield 2.725 million extra hours of policing by uniformed and special units throughout the State.

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Does the Minister acknowledge that almost 500 tourists were victims of crime in Ireland last year? That is unacceptable. People increasingly choose destinations which are welcoming and safe and it is of no benefit to the tourism industry to have such high crime figures. While the number of robberies fell, theft accounted for approximately 60% of those crimes. Is the Minister concerned about that? Does he have any proposals or plans for dealing with the situation better than we are doing at the moment?

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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To be a victim of crime while visiting any country is appalling and it wrecks a tourist's whole experience. There is in all European countries a tendency in criminal quarters to target tourists and I do not believe we are any different. However, 500 out of the total who visit Ireland is a very small minority. We have set up the Irish Tourist Assistance Service which had 293 referrals in 2005, 17% less than the previous year's figure of 353. Some 476 tourists benefited from assistance given by the service while 357 days were spent on helping tourists solve problems arising from such crime. There are interesting figures on the Irish Tourist Assistance Service's website, which I recommend to the Deputy, and information on where offences were committed etc. The highest incidence was in Dublin and, for the first time, Galway stations referred the most cases outside Dublin with ten, County Wicklow referred nine; County Kerry, six; County Clare, five; and County Limerick, four. They are small figures, however, and we should not talk up the problem and damage our tourism industry.

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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We should not ignore it either.

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I agree but, comparatively speaking, foreign tourists in Ireland are safer than in many, if not most, places in Europe.