Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the annual cost of crime to the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38404/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Because of the complexities inherent in attempting to make a comprehensive assessment of the total cost of crime to the State, it is not possible to provide a figure of the kind sought by the Deputy. However, insofar as my Department is concerned I can inform the Deputy that the gross expenditure associated with the operation of An Garda Síochána, the Prisons and Courts Services as well as other services related to crime and criminal justice amounted to €4.23bn in 2011. This figure does not include the cost to the State of other response services, for example in the area of health and social services, or the direct cost to the State of theft or of losses arising from customs and other fraud.