Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 54: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the action he will take to tackle the increase in gangland murders in the country; if he will deal with the situation of automatic remission; if he will widen the ambit of the Special Criminal Court to deal with these crimes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27298/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The number of murders is, of course, a matter of concern to me and the Government.

All killings, regardless of the persons or the circumstances involved, are the subject of a rigorous investigation by An Garda Síochána. The identification of the motive and the evidence available in its support are key elements of the investigation and prosecution process. On completion of such investigations an investigation file is completed and forwarded to the Law Officers who direct what charges, if any, are to be preferred. It is then a matter for the courts to decide on a person's guilt or innocence.

My highest priority is bringing gangland killings to an end and to bring those involved in gangland activities to justice. In recent days we have seen a number of successful operations carried out by An Garda Síochána to deal with gangland crime. I am sure all members of the House will join with me in commending the Gardaí for these successes. Obviously I cannot comment on the detail of what took place, since the operations form part of criminal investigations and court proceedings, but I will say that this type of relentless activity by An Garda Síochána, under Operation Anvil in particular, will continue to be used to deal with these gangs. I am willing to look at all options that might reduce gangland crime including options relating to remission.

Last week I published the policing priorities I have determined for An Garda Síochána for 2008, as provided for in the Garda Síochána Act, 2005. The first priority they contain relates to targeting gun crime, organised crime and drug trafficking. They refer to the use in particular of specialist units and targeted operations such as Operation Anvil; profiling, intelligence gathering and threat assessments in relation to individuals and groups involved in this type of crime; and the pursuit by the Criminal Assets Bureau of the proceeds of crime including through the presence of enhanced liaison arrangements between CAB and Garda Divisions.

The Government, and I am sure all members of the House, will fully support the Gardaí in their efforts. For our part we are providing unprecedented resources not just to the Garda Síochána but to all the agencies involved in the criminal justice system.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that An Garda Síochána is actively targeting organised crime on a number of fronts. Uniform and plain-clothes Gardaí, assisted by specialist units from National Support Services, are overtly and covertly disrupting known criminals in the course of their criminal activities. A number of organised crime groups targeted in this manner have recently had firearms recovered and drugs seized resulting in a number of gang members being prosecuted and convicted before the Courts.

In November, 2005 the Organised Crime Unit at the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation was set up to combat the growth of organised crime and in particular armed criminal gangs. This Unit has been expanded and now comprises 70 members working full time proactively targeting various criminal groups. The Unit will continue to work closely with other specialist units, including the Garda National Drugs Unit and the Special Detective Unit/Emergency Response Unit, in targeting those suspected of involvement in organised criminal activity.

We have considerably strengthened the criminal law too. For example, we have made it more difficult to get bail in drug trafficking and firearms cases. The Criminal Justice Act 2006 updated offences and penalties for firearms offences and introduced minimum mandatory sentences of between five and ten years for those offences. We have extended the periods the Gardaí can question people suspected of involvement in serious crime for. We have updated the law on the right to silence. I am also willing to look at all options that might reduce gangland crime including options relating to remission. However, in any criminal justice system it takes time for changes which are made in the law to have full effect in practice. In the immediate period ahead we need to support fully the operational measures being taken by the Gardaí to target all of those involved in these activities.

With respect to widening the ambit of the Special Criminal Court (SCC), provision already exists for the forwarding for trial in the SCC of persons accused of both scheduled and non-scheduled offences. In the case of scheduled offences which are also indictable offences, such persons shall be returned for trial to the SCC unless the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) otherwise directs. In the case of non-scheduled offences, such persons shall be returned for trial to the SCC upon direction of the DPP.

The conviction of many serious organised criminals has already been successfully secured in the SCC. The operation of the SCC in this regard is kept under review.