Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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197. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the current status of regulation for the cash for gold second-hand precious metal industry; if she is concerned that such businesses may be inadvertently fuelling continued high rates of burglary and theft; her intentions with respect to tackling this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22010/14]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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My Department published a report in June 2012 on the criminal justice aspects of the cash for gold trade; this Report is available on my Department's website www.justice.ie. The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Equality and Defence were requested to consider the content of that report, obtain the views of all relevant interested parties and make such report and recommendations as the Committee deemed proportionate and appropriate in the public interest to the Houses of the Oireachtas and to Government. The Committee provided their observations to my predecessor in May 2013. The Committee's response made a number of suggestions to be considered in addressing this issue; their response also noted that the advent of specific 'Cash for Gold' businesses was a relatively new phenomenon and that drafting legislation to regulate this sector would be a complex matter.

With regard to the suggestion that such outlets may, inadvertently, be fuelling continued high rates of burglary and theft, it is, of course, possible that businesses such as these are among the routes utilised by persons seeking to dispose of stolen goods. However, I am informed by An Garda Síochána that they have no evidence that would suggest a direct link between burglaries and the 'Cash for Gold' sector.

I would also draw the Deputy's attention to the significant success in tackling burglary offences of An Garda Síochána's Operation Fiacla. This operation has proved a robust and effective response to those who seek to prey on law abiding householders as borne out by the full year Crime Statistics for 2013 which are the latest figures published by the Central Statistics Office. These show a welcome reduction of 7.2% in burglary and related offences over the 12 month period and continue a trend which has been evident since the introduction of Operation Fiacla.

The current position is that my Department has considered the views of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Equality and Defence and are now examining what appropriate and proportionate responses to this issue could be developed.