Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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209. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the extent to which adequate resources remain available to the Criminal Assets Bureau; the bureau continues to combat organised crime; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35729/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I can inform the Deputy that the Criminal Assets Bureau currently has 71 staff members. This incorporates staff on secondment from the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Social Protection, members of An Garda Síochána and staff from my own Department.

The Bureau is headed by the Chief Bureau Officer who is a Chief Superintendent with An Garda Síochána and assisted by the Bureau Legal Officer. In addition, legal advice and solicitor services are provided to the Bureau by the Criminal Assets Section of the Chief State Solicitor's Office.

In addition, a further 156 asset profilers trained by the Bureau are providing a criminal asset profiling service across the Garda Divisions in relation to persons or suspects operating within the area, with particular reference to those involved in drug dealing and serious criminal activity.

In 2015 a budget of €7.073m has been allocated to the Bureau. This compares with €7.037m in 2014 and €6.94m in 2013.

Further detailed information concerning the resources allocated to the Bureau and its activities can be found in the Annual Reports of the Bureau which are available on my Department's website. For the Deputy's information, the resources provided to the Criminal Assets Bureau in terms of budget and staffing numbers in recent years are set out in the table below.

I can assure the Deputy that I am committed to making sure the necessary resources are made available to the Criminal Assets Bureau from within the available public finances. In this regard the resources of the Bureau are, and will continue to be, kept under ongoing review by both the Criminal Assets Bureau and my Department.

Criminal Assets Bureau Budget and Staff Levels 2011 - 2015