Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 215: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if the resources available to the gardaí and the CAB are sufficient to tackle the full extent of organised crime and criminal gangs here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36590/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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An Garda Síochána are continuing to conduct an ongoing major crackdown on organised crime, including drug trafficking and other types of organised criminality and the Garda authorities now have a record level of resources available, both in financial and personnel terms, in order to enable An Garda Síochána carry out its functions.

The Garda authorities advise that the personnel strength (all ranks) of An Garda Síochána made up of the number of attested Gardaí plus recruits in training now stands at a record high of 14,137 and that the commitment in the Agreed Programme for Government to recruit an additional 2,000 members of An Garda Síochána has been met.

The Garda budget is now at an all-time historic high having reached €1.310 billion, which is more than double the budget for 1997. The 2006 Garda overtime allocation has risen by €22.4m to €83.5m, which represents an increase of 36.6% over the allocation of €61.1m for 2005. This will facilitate, among other things, the continuation of operations targeted at the prevention and detection of crimes such as gangland murders, organised crime, racketeering and other criminal activity which gives rise to serious community concern.

I am informed by Garda management that they are satisfied that the Criminal Assets Bureau has sufficient resources for it to operate effectively pursuant to its statutory remit. The Criminal Assets Bureau has been at the forefront of the fight against organised crime in this jurisdiction since its inception in 1996. The manner in which the Bureau operates has, in that 10 year period, come to be viewed, both domestically and internationally, as a very successful model for targeting persons seeking to derive profits from criminal activities.

The assignment of staff to the Bureau from An Garda Síochána, the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Social and Family Affairs ensures a multi-disciplinary, coordinated and integrated approach to the identification, freezing and seizure of criminal proceeds, the assessment and collection of unpaid taxes, and the recovery of social welfare overpayments.

The resources available to the Bureau, including manpower, facilities and technology, are kept under continuous review to ensure that it is fully able to fulfil its statutory remit. In this context, in late 2005 following consultation with the Garda Commissioner, my Department secured Department of Finance sanction for two additional specialist staff for the CAB. These staff, a financial crime analyst and a forensic accountant have recently been recruited. There is also now a Divisional criminal assets profiler based in every Garda Division nationwide, increasing the capacity of the organisation to target the finances of criminals. The Chief Bureau Officer closely monitors the allocation of personnel and the matter also remains under constant review by local Garda management.

In addition, Operation Anvil was launched on the 17 May, 2005 in the Dublin Metropolitan Region. It is an intelligence-led policing initiative the focus of which is the targeting of active criminals and their associated involved in serious crime by preventing and disrupting this criminal activity through extensive additional overt patrolling, and static checkpoints, by uniform mobile and foot patrols supported by armed plain-clothes patrols. Operation Anvil has been extended nationwide during 2006 and consists of a series of special operations, proposed by each Regional Assistant Commissioner, which are designed to focus on areas and incidence of high crime.

In November 2005 an additional 55 members were allocated to augment the Organised Crime Unit of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation to address the problem of criminal gang activity and serious crime continues to be detected through police operations resulting in significant numbers of firearms and quantities of drugs and money being seized by An Garda Síochána. There are a number of persons currently before the Courts arising from these policing initiatives.

On an international level An Garda Síochána constantly strives to increase the level of cooperation, through international law enforcement agencies, Interpol and Europol in the enforcement of drug legislation and to proactively target those individuals and criminal gangs involved in criminal activities to disrupt and disband such networks. Garda Liaison Officers are currently in place in the UK, Spain, the Netherlands, and at Europol and Interpol.

Finally, I can assure the Deputy that I am in regular contact with the Garda Commissioner in order to keep the measures and resources for tackling serious crime under continuing review, and to this end I will continue to ensure that every necessary resource is made available to An Garda Síochána.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 217: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of organised crime gangs currently operating throughout the greater Dublin area; if any, all or none, have been detained or questioned in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36592/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I am informed by the Garda authorities that there are a number of groupings of persons who come within the ambit of organised crime gangs within the greater Dublin area, many of whom have been arrested and detained for questioning in the past twelve months with charges having been brought against a number of those arrested.