Feargal Quinn (Independent)

If the Minister for Finance responded to the suggestion I am about to make, there would be an outcry. He would be brave indeed. I want to draw attention to the tax amnesty in Italy. The last time we had a tax amnesty, the Taoiseach and Minister for Finance of the day received much abuse, but the Italian figures bear examination, given our tough economic situation. The Italian Government's tax amnesty has been so successful that it has been extended from 13 December to 30 April. Some €80 billion has been taken in and it has been estimated that there is as much as €500 billion in untaxed assets. The Italian Government has offered a 5% tax amnesty.

An amnesty here would be unpopular and heavily criticised, but it should be given some consideration. I can understand why there would be an outcry, as an amnesty suggests that those who have cheated on their taxes would be able to avail of something they did not deserve. However, our economic situation would clearly benefit from the sort of income we might receive, as we did the last time.

Senators Cummins and Walsh have discussed the difficulties pertaining to the Garda. The debate could be held during the discussion on the interesting report of the Garda Inspectorate, which has just been published. When comparing Garda operational management with the private sector, as Senator Walsh has done, the real difference is the lack of information technology. Ireland has one civilian in the Garda for every 11 gardaí. In the rest of Europe, the figure is one civilian for every three police officers. Those civilians do paperwork so that the officers have time to go out and do the work they should be doing. In the private sector, there would be an investment in technology. The inspectorate's report is worth consideration and debate and we would learn much from it.