Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 645: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of public order offences committed in St. James's Hospital, Dublin in 2006 and to date in 2007; the steps that have been taken to address the problems of anti-social behaviour in and around the accident and emergency department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16707/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Following the submission in 2004 of a report and recommendations by an expert group on crime statistics, it was 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, the CSO is now compiling and publishing criminal statistics and has published provisional headline crime statistics for the third and fourth quarters of 2006 and for the first quarter of 2007. 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 on the number of offences sought by the Deputy directly to him. I have requested a report from the Garda authorities in relation to addressing anti-social behaviour in the location referred to by the Deputy. I will contact the Deputy again as soon as the report is to hand.