Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 62: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 124 of 19 October 2006, the page number in the Garda Annual Reports of 2003 to 2005 which contains the information requested in the question, that is statistics by Garda district; if he will confirm that this information is not contained in these reports; his reason for withholding such information when preliminary figures have already been provided to other Deputies; his views on whether withholding such information provides for a transparent and accountable police force; and if he will provide the information requested. [34911/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I have always been an advocate of a properly transparent and accountable Garda Síochána. For that reason I introduced the Garda Síochána Bill, which was enacted as the Garda Síochána Act, 2005, to increase, among other things, the Force's transparency and accountability. In addition to establishing such bodies as the Ombudsman Commission and the Garda Síochána Inspectorate, the Act provides in section 47 for the compilation of statistical information.

Following the submission to me in 2004 of a report and recommendations by an expert group on crime statistics, I decided that the compilation, production and publication of crime statistics should be taken over by the Central Statistics Office, as the national statistical agency, from the Garda Síochána. The Garda Síochána Act, 2005 consequently makes provision for this and the CSO established a dedicated Unit for this purpose. Following the setting up of the necessary technical systems and auditing of the data from which the statistics are compiled, I am pleased to note that the CSO will compile and publish criminal statistics, starting with the figures for the third quarter of this year.

The information provided in reply to Parliamentary Question No. 124 of 19 October 2006 is available on page 26 of the Garda Síochána Annual Report 2005 and page 40 of the Garda Síochána Annual Report 2003. The reports in question contain statistics based on Garda division. However, I understand that the CSO will examine how the crime statistics published might be expanded and made more comprehensive.