Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 76: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the measures he has in place to track the movements and behaviour of known serious criminals living in housing estates; the checks and protections in place to protect residents and public safety in estates in which criminals are known to reside; if he liaises with the Department of Social and Family Affairs to advise them of the level of income such people derive from criminal activity for consideration by that Department in determining their eligibility for social welfare payments, rent supplement and other State benefits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40409/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Operations against persons involved in serious crime in this jurisdiction are undertaken on an ongoing basis. Such criminals, their operating methods, criminal interests and financial assets are proactively targeted through intelligence-led operations such as Operation Anvil. Such operations are primarily undertaken by specialist units of An Garda Síochána, including the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Garda national drugs unit and organised crime unit and the Criminal Assets Bureau. Of course, multi-agency approaches play a key role in these matters and will continue to be used in our response to such crime.

The Criminal Assets Bureau is being actively utilised to identify and target funds accumulated by criminals in order to seize such assets and to deprive them of the profits of their criminal activity. The social welfare inspectors attached to it investigate and determine the social welfare entitlements of persons who are suspected of deriving assets from criminal activity and officers from the Department of Social and Family Affairs can make referrals to it for investigation. In addition, Garda Síochána asset profilers, of which there are 103 and who collate information at a local level and carry out preparatory groundwork in advance of a full investigation by CAB, are now in place in every Garda division.

Since its inception in 1996, the CAB has saved over €4 million in social welfare payments and recovered overpayments of almost €3 million. The Department of Social and Family Affairs continues to make very considerable savings in its Vote through fraud controls with savings estimated at €476 million being achieved in 2008. In support of this work, the Department has an extensive legal structure to facilitate the sharing of data with other Departments and specified bodies, such as An Garda Síochána, for the purpose of combating social welfare fraud and data matching is used as a method of identifying high risk social welfare claims for review. There is also close co-operation between the Department of Social and Family Affairs and An Garda Síochána on the ground in regard to multi-agency vehicle checkpoints and personation cases. The Department of Social and Family Affairs control division also deal with individual enquiries from An Garda Síochána as they arise concerning the type of issues raised by the Deputy.

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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It seems that much is happening in this area but it is not in many other areas. Operation Anvil forced a lot of the criminals out of Dublin and moved them a number of miles north, south, east and west of Dublin. The Minister referred to the CAB. When I proposed a regional version of it I was pooh-poohed. The Minister said there are a number of profilers, but they are not operating on the ground.

The Minister said €4 million was saved in social welfare payments to those engaged in criminal activities. If €4 million a month was saved one would think it was fine but savings of €4 million since 1993-----

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Some €4 million was saved by the CAB but €476 million generally in fraudulent payments was saved.

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I am referring to approximately €4 million in social welfare fraud saved by the CAB. It should be €4 million a month. A number of criminals go to dole offices. How much liaison is there between the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Garda and the Department of Social and Family Affairs? Are they liaising on the ground on a district by district and Garda station by Garda station basis? That is what should be happening. Without doing that the Minister's response is irrelevant at a time when people on the ground are acting criminally.

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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From the point of view of the CAB, there are 103 criminal asset profilers in total, which are based in every Garda division in the country and operate at a local level, dealing with social welfare queries. As the Deputy knows, social welfare officials are also seconded to the CAB. Multi-agency checkpoints also operate in localities. When I was Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, I tried to instigate such measures and now that I am Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform we have again revamped them because they are very important, particularly to prevent gangs going across the country from one area to another. In that respect, multi-agency vehicle checkpoints operate in which the Garda, the Department of Social and Family Affairs and other State Departments are involved. I do not agree with the Deputy that investigations are not happening at a local level because they are and there is contact, irrespective of the CAB, between gardaí at a local level with Department of Social and Family Affairs officials on a regular basis.

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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The Minister may not be able to put his hands on the figures immediately but how many known criminals have had their social welfare payments stopped?

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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That is a question not for me but for the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Mary Hanafin.

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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It is a question.

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I do not have those figures. The Deputy will have to table a question. It depends on what one defines as a criminal because many people come before the courts on a daily basis who are in receipt of social welfare and who could potentially be criminals. Is the Deputy suggesting such peoples' social welfare payments should be taken away? Social welfare is a very basic payment.

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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In the context of the question-----

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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To get the Deputy's point-----

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I refer to serious criminals.

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy indicates that there are individuals who have great wealth, yet are potentially claiming social welfare. To the best of my information, anyone who portrays a lifestyle far above his or her social welfare entitlements is immediately targeted by gardaí and the Department of Social and Family Affairs.

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Is it possible to have the question on serious criminals answered?