Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 24: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of gun murders recorded in 2006; the way this compares with the figures for 2005; the number of gun murders recorded to date in 2007; the steps being taken to deal with these crimes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12918/07]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 52: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of cases of murder in which firearms were used in respect of each year from 1998 to date in 2007; the number of such cases in which prosecutions for murder were initiated; the number of such cases where convictions were secured; if he is satisfied with the level of detection and conviction in such cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12920/07]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 129: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of gun crimes committed in each of the past five years to date in 2007; the number of prosecutions and convictions arising therefrom; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13366/07]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 134: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number and nature of gun crime reported in the past two years; the number of prosecutions and convictions arising therefrom; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13371/07]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 24, 52, 129 and 134 together.

I refer the Deputies to my answer to Question No. 60 of today's date.

Following the submission to me in 2004 of a report and recommendations by an expert group on crime statistics, I decided that the compilation 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 has 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 is now compiling and publishing criminal statistics and has published provisional headline crime statistics for the third and fourth quarters of 2006. In addition, it has compiled and published a series of quarterly and annual statistics for the period starting with the first quarter of 2003. I understand that the CSO are examining how the crime statistics published might be expanded and made more comprehensive. I have requested the CSO to provide the information sought by the Deputies directly to them.