Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

): Strategy documents are needed from time to time on various issues. For instance, I recently launched the first five year national strategy document on sexual, gender based and domestic violence. The document was produced to ensure coherence between the responses of the relevant agencies and non-governmental bodies. It did not require the introduction of new legislation and was unconnected to existing legislation. It related instead to the response of different Departments and the different aspects of the issue.

The legislation before us affects a number of other regulators and authorities, for example, the Financial Regulator, which will set out their own strategies in this area. Under the strategy adopted by the Department, we have established an anti-money laundering compliance unit, which will have supervisory and monitoring responsibilities on money laundering aspects in respect of sectors where there are no other supervisory bodies. I assure the Senators it is my intention to ensure the strategy relevant to anti-money laundering controls in the sectors for which this unit of my Department will have responsibility will be reflected in the next departmental strategy statement, which will be published in 2011 to cover the years from 2011 to 2013. It seems these measures in effect meet the objectives of the amendment considered here, albeit that the strategy statement and policing plan adopted concerning the Garda Síochána cover periods less than five years as suggested in the amendment. Proposing to place a commitment such as that set out in the amendment would create an overly rigid procedure. It might be the case, for example, that having published a five-year plan as envisaged by the amendment, such a plan would not be changed within a five-year period to take account of new developments, even if such a change was called for. The types of crime covered in this Bill - money laundering and terrorist financing - are, regrettably, increasingly sophisticated forms of criminal activity. To an increasing degree, new forms of technological development are employed in the commission of these offences and, therefore, law enforcement agencies must be ready to change strategies and policies on these kind of offences at shorter notice than is envisaged by this proposal, and perhaps at far more frequent intervals than even five years. I do not propose to accept the amendment. Some people have said this legislation is long awaited, which tends to suggest we do not already have legislation in this area, but we do. We have robust legislation in this area because it has been changed regularly in recent years.