Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 11: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on the current 20% shortfall in positions occupied in the Garda national drugs unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7685/07]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I am informed by the Garda authorities that a total of 331 gardaí are dedicated to national and regional drugs units. These units are also supported in their work by officers from other national units such as the national bureau of criminal investigation, the Garda bureau of fraud investigation and the Criminal Assets Bureau. In addition, all gardaí are tasked with confronting drugs-related issues as they arise. As the Deputy will appreciate, policing operations and the deployment of Garda resources are matters for the Garda Commissioner. It is the responsibility of Garda management to allocate personnel within the Garda organisation on a priority basis in accordance with overall policing requirements. The Garda Commissioner responsible for the allocation of Garda officers sanctioned the immediate recruitment at a minimum of an additional two sergeants and ten gardaí to the national drugs unit, thereby increasing the personnel strength of the unit to 60. I understand that competitive interviews for these positions have recently been completed and the additional personnel will shortly be appointed. Garda personnel assigned throughout the country, together with overall policing arrangements and operational strategy, are continually monitored and reviewed by him. Such monitoring ensures optimum use is made of Garda resources, and the best policing service is provided to the public. I have been informed by the Garda authorities that the total personnel strength in all ranks of the Garda national drugs unit is 48 although that is, as I said, about to be increased to 60. On 1 March 2007 there was one detective chief superintendent, two detective superintendents, three detective inspectors, one inspector who was a customs liaison officer, seven detective sergeants, two sergeants, 31 detective gardaí and one uniformed garda. In conjunction with this, I am informed by the Garda authorities that the Commissioner is also currently arranging for an additional allocation of personnel to the national unit.

On the broader issue of Garda resources being made available by the Government, in December 2006, as part of a package of anti-crime measures, I secured Government approval for the continuation of the existing Garda recruitment programme to achieve a total Garda strength of 15,000. The Taoiseach and I have recently agreed to increase that figure to 16,000.

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Was that following a discussion at the Fianna Fáil Ard-Fheis?

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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It was before that.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Minister caught up with the Taoiseach. He must have run after him.

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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He was not the only one consulted.

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I am consulted. Additional Garda resources are coming on stream all the time, with an accelerated intake of approximately 1,100 new recruits per annum into the Garda College. These additional human resources will facilitate the Garda Commissioner in transforming the Garda Síochána by the allocation of additional manpower to areas most in need.

There is a demand for members of the Garda Síochána everywhere, which is why the civilianisation programme is gathering strength.

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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It is needed now.

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I remind the Deputy that, when his party was in office with the Labour Party, the number of gardaí was allowed to decline at a time when the population was rising.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Late last year the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform described increasing gangland activity, particularly gangland murders, as analogous to attacks on the State by subversives in earlier decades. Does he agree that the increase in gangland activity is largely based on the drugs industry in the State? In that context, does he agree that to staff the national drugs unit with just 48 members is scandalous, considering that in 2005 there were 55 members and in 2002 there were 50? Has he heard a firm date from the Commissioner as to when the additional members, bringing the complement up to the weak target of 60, will be appointed?

Seizures of heroin last year amounted to 136 kg with an estimated street value of €27.2 million. That represented a fourfold increase on the volume of seizures in 2005 and, as is evident from international statistics, that is only a fraction of the volume of heroin available on the streets.

Was the Minister as shocked as I was by the test undertaken by DCU on banknotes in which 100%, of an admittedly small sample, showed signs of cocaine? Does he accept that cocaine now pervades society across this country and is widely used? If the words he uttered at the end of last year are to be taken seriously, does he not agree that having a national drugs unit with fewer members than years ago is lamentable?

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I will put this discussion in context. We discussed the Criminal Assets Bureau earlier and the strength of the Garda Síochána in terms of numbers involved in the battle against drugs has grown substantially over recent years but they are located across the country.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Does the Minister have the numbers?

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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The 331 officers to whom I referred are the ones on whom we should concentrate, as opposed to those in the centralised unit. The same arguments made by Deputy Cuffe for localising resources apply to CAB. At the end of December 2002, there were 50 people in the national drugs unit and in 2003 there were 52. In 2004 the unit had 49 members, in 2005 it had 55 and in 2006 there were 48.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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There are 48 now.

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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That is correct. It has not changed by more than a handful over that period. However, the strength of drug units nationally has expanded substantially in the same period.

I agree with Deputy Howlin that drugs are a very serious issue but drugs units are not the only component of the battle against gang land. Detective units carrying out surveillance and other operations and the armed detective units who participated in Operation Anvil and Operation Oak work shoulder to shoulder with the drug detectives so the 331 gardaí and 48 members of the national drugs unit do not represent the total complement dealing with gangland activity.

I also agree with the Deputy that cocaine specifically is a very serious problem and have spoken out against the notion that it is a recreational drug which people are free to take in a libertarian way without consequence to others. There is a direct consequence to others as there cannot be cocaine without cocaine cartels or cocaine cartels without people being shot down. The consumption of cocaine has profound effects on our society.

The test carried out by DCU was very interesting because it suggests cocaine is widely available in Ireland. If, however, money is sorted and counted in machines, cross-contamination may occur and the fact that every note had a trace of cocaine could well be a result of cocaine-soiled notes being sorted with others. I do not draw the conclusion that every note in people's pockets has recently been in the hands of a drug user.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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A variety of notes were tested and some contamination levels were very high. Some had a concentration greater than two nanograms per note and some had levels 100 times higher, so the traces were not tiny.

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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Nanograms are very small.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I have no idea how big a nanogram is. A similar survey on dollar bills in the US showed 65% to be contaminated so it is worrying.

The Minister said there were 12 vacancies, for two sergeants and ten gardaí, to bring the complement of the national drugs unit up to 60. There is agreement that their recruitment is a minimum requirement so when can we expect them to be in place?

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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Competitive interviews were carried out recently so appointments will follow very rapidly. I cannot give a date as I do not micromanage the Garda Síochána.