Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 778: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the amount of money that has been seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau in each year since its establishment in 1996 to date in 2008; the amount of money seized and still frozen; the amount of money seized and released; the use to which the money has been put; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29638/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Criminal Assets Bureau has been at the forefront of the fight against organised crime, including drug trafficking, in this jurisdiction since its inception in 1996. The significant successes that the Bureau continues to achieve by its operations demonstrates the effectiveness of its approach in pursuing illegally gotten gains.

The manner in which the Bureau operates has, in the eleven-year period of its existence, come to be viewed, both domestically and internationally, as a very successful model for targeting persons seeking to derive profits from criminal activities.

Details of the activities of the Criminal Assets Bureau since its establishment in 1996 are contained in the Annual Reports of the Bureau which are submitted to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The most recently published report is for the year 2006.

These reports are quite comprehensive and include details of the number of cases commenced, assets frozen and monies returned to the Exchequer under the Proceeds of Crime Acts, 1996 and 2005, and monies collected under the Revenue and Social Welfare Acts. Copies of the reports are available in the Oireachtas library.

All funds collected by the Criminal Assets Bureau are forwarded, either directly or through the Revenue Commissioners/Department of Social and Family Affairs, to the Central Exchequer Fund under the remit of the Department of Finance and are allocated accordingly as approved by Dáil Éireann through the normal Estimates process.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that the following table identifies the value of assets secured/restrained/frozen under Section 2 Interim Orders, Section 3 Interlocutory Orders and Section 16(b) Corrupt Enrichment Orders of the Proceeds of Crime Act, 1996 and 2005 (as amended) unti 31 December, 2007. Figures in relation to 2008 will be included in the CAB Annual Report for that year.