Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

I am sure the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ahern, is a happy man given Carriagtwohill's victory in the Cork county hurling final last weekend.

Tackling crime is a collective responsibility. It is the job of the Opposition to hold the Government to account. Senator Boyle spoke about pantomime politics, yet the crime figures between 2001 to 2006 tell a different story. In this period, 338 people were murdered. The second quarter of 2007 has seen a 43% increase in homicide offences, a 19% increase in murder and manslaughter offences and assaults up by 7%. These figures are no pantomime. Will the Members opposite ask the Ceann Comhairle, Deputy John O'Donoghue, where his zero tolerance policy has gone? The Government's crime policy has changed to anything goes.