Results 10,601-10,620 of 18,733 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Crime Prevention. (27 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2, together. Since I took the decision to publish crime statistics on a quarterly basis at the beginning of 2003, I have consistently emphasised that care must be taken in interpreting the statistics, especially when considering short term fluctuations or extrapolating trends over short periods. I have emphasised this both when the level of crime has...

Crime Prevention. (27 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: No. One of the problems is that homicide offences had risen but this term includes verbal threats to kill. While no level of murder is acceptable, I would advise the Deputies that Ireland has one of the lowest murder rates in the western world. For example, the homicide rate in Glasgow, a city of comparable size to Dublin, is 5.5 per 100,000 of the population. The comparable figure for Dublin...

Crime Prevention. (27 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: It is obvious the Deputy has not listened to a word I said. The situation is that the level of headline crime in Ireland is now less than it was when he and his partners were in Government in 1995 and 1996.

Crime Prevention. (27 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: The number of headline crimes per head of population has reduced from 29 to 24.

Crime Prevention. (27 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: If we are to compare performances — there is an unwillingness to accept there was a problem — the problem was significantly worse when some members of the Deputies' parties opposite were at the Cabinet table. The Deputy asked me about resources. The resources that have been devoted to the Garda Síochána have never been higher——

Crime Prevention. (27 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: ——both in financial terms and in numbers.

Crime Prevention. (27 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: I remind the Deputies opposite of what happened——

Crime Prevention. (27 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: ——when they were in office. It is fascinating that every time we discuss the record of the parties opposite, they start shouting. I remind the Deputies that when they were in office the numbers of gardaí in the force declined, whereas while I have been in office and while the two parties have been in office, the numbers of gardaí have dramatically increased. The size of the Garda...

Crime Prevention. (27 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: There is no point in the Deputy heckling me and denying the fact. Ireland is not in the middle of a crime wave and it is an exaggeration to say it is.

Crime Prevention. (27 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: I am glad Deputy Howlin now accepts that it is legitimate to look at the comparative records of the rainbow Government and the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats coalitions in these matters.

Crime Prevention. (27 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: I reiterate that the number of headline crimes when he was at the Cabinet table——

Crime Prevention. (27 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: ——with a population of 3.6 million——

Crime Prevention. (27 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: Deputy Howlin is in the shouting down business again.

Crime Prevention. (27 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: Deputy O'Keeffe only had one supplementary question, but what a supplementary it was.

Crime Prevention. (27 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: The number of headline crimes when Deputy Howlin was at the Cabinet table exceeds the current number——

Crime Prevention. (27 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: ——with a population of 3.6 million then and 4.1 million now. The number of gardaí was allowed to drop when the rainbow coalition was in office and I and my predecessor, Deputy O'Donoghue, have increased the number of gardaí substantially.

Crime Prevention. (27 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: The resources of the Garda Síochána have never risen faster than they are rising at present and the number of crimes per 1,000 of population has come down from 29.6 at the time——

Crime Prevention. (27 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: ——the rainbow coalition was in office to 24 per 1,000 of population now. Those are the facts.

Crime Prevention. (27 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: The table is set out in the reply which I will furnish here today.

Crime Prevention. (27 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: No amount of bluster, filibustering, heckling or anything else changes those facts.