Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 114: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will furnish the crime statistics for the Clonakilty Garda District for the years 2000 to 2005 respectively in view of the fact that such statistics are not separately contained in the Garda Annual report. [42969/06]

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 129: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will furnish the crime statistics for the Bandon Garda district for the years 2000 to 2005 respectively in view of the fact that such statistics are not separately contained in the Garda Annual Reports. [43234/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 114 and 129 together.

Headline crime statistics for the years 2000 to 2005 for the Garda Division of Cork West, which includes the Garda Districts of Bandon and Clonakilty, are contained in the relevant Garda Annual Reports, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas Library.

Headline crime statistics have not yet been published in the manner requested by the Deputy.

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 are now compiling and publishing criminal statistics and have published the figures for the third quarter of this year.

I understand that the CSO are examining how the crime statistics published might be expanded and made more comprehensive.