Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

I thank Senator White for raising this important issue and for giving me the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform who could not be here tonight, for which he sends his apologies to the House and to Senator White.

I wish to make clear to the House the Government's commitment to dealing with trafficking in human beings. Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery. It is a growing international crime which has become a major global business for organised crime groups and networks.

I assure the House that action is being taken to combat this crime, which is being taken very seriously by my Department and the Garda Síochána. The Garda Síochána is very proactive in this area and from its intelligence gathering, surveillance and investigations to date, it reports that there is no evidence to suggest that trafficking of persons into Ireland for the purposes of sexual exploitation is widespread. To date, Garda operations have uncovered a small number of trafficking cases.

The international evidence also supports this view. In the recently published United Nations report, Trafficking in Persons: Global Patterns, Ireland ranks at the low end of destination or transit countries in western Europe. However, we are still at risk. While the incidence of trafficking in Ireland to date is limited, we face the same threats as those faced by many other countries worldwide.

Gardaí take a proactive approach and are ever vigilant to ensure that any allegations relating to the trafficking of women for sexual exploitation are vigorously investigated. While evidence of the involvement of criminal gangs in the trafficking or smuggling of non-nationals into the State is scarce, a number of specific operations have been put in place with a view to the prevention and detection of any such activity. These operations are ongoing.

On 5 May I published the report, to which Senator White referred, of the working group on human trafficking comprising representatives of my Department and the Garda Síochána. It is very informative with regard to the situation in Ireland and the State's response to this issue on a number of fronts, including immigration controls, law enforcement activity, protection of victims and legislation. The report is clear evidence that my Department and the Garda Síochána are committed to tackling trafficking in human beings at a national level and to working with our European Union and other colleagues to tackle it internationally.

The Minister recently launched a poster campaign to assist in addressing the trafficking issue. This campaign, which is facilitated by Crimestoppers, will help raise awareness of trafficking among the general public. It will also provide an important point of contact for those who may be victims of, or vulnerable to, this insidious crime. The posters are being displayed at airports, ports, bus and railway stations, among other places. Anyone who phones the free telephone number, 1800 25 00 25, can be assured that the call is anonymous, safe and free of charge. Victims of trafficking, or anyone with knowledge of trafficking activities, should not be afraid to contact the authorities for assistance. In this campaign, the Garda Síochána, the Department and the International Organisation for Migration are available to provide whatever assistance is necessary to victims who come to their attention.

Members of the Garda Síochána attend relevant international meetings to facilitate the exchange of information on best practice between EU member states, Europol and Interpol and to devise strategies capable of combating immigration-related criminality, including trafficking in human beings. The Garda Síochána has also built up a network of bilateral contacts and participates in operations to combat trafficking activity.

Members of the Garda Síochána also participate in the Interpol working group on trafficking in women and children. This group has developed a best practice manual which provides practical guidelines for investigators. The manual is laid out in a structured way to assist the investigator in identifying and locating advice on specific issues. Meetings of the working group are attended by members of Garda specialist units.

A training programme has been prepared for delivery to key Garda personnel throughout the State. The programme has been designed to enable members of the Garda Síochána to identify victims of trafficking who they may encounter in the course of their duties and fully understand the complexity of the phenomenon. It is also designed to ensure that victims receive appropriate assistance from all the relevant agencies.

Legislation creating an offence of trafficking in persons for the specific purpose of sexual or labour exploitation is contained in the draft Criminal Justice (Trafficking in Persons and Sexual Offences) Bill. This Bill will comply with the EU framework decision on combating trafficking in persons for the purpose of their sexual or labour exploitation and will also fulfil the criminal law requirements of two other international trafficking instruments, including the 2005 Council of Europe convention on action against trafficking in human beings.

The Minister circulated the general scheme of the Bill to the Attorney General's office and interested Departments last week for their views. He intends to seek Government approval to its drafting within the next two weeks. He expects to publish the Bill later this year.

There can be no doubt about the Government's commitment to deal with this issue. While we are taking steps to improve our response to it, we have considerable scope for dealing with the issue of trafficking within the current legislative framework. The Minister, the Department and the Garda will continue to work vigorously to prevent trafficking, prosecute traffickers and protect victims.