Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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95. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the current levels of Garda and specialist staff numbers in the Criminal Assets Bureau; her plans to increase these staff resources; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38746/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I can inform the Deputy that the Criminal Assets Bureau currently has a staffing level of 71, incorporating staff on secondment from the Revenue Commissioners (12), the Department of Social Protection (6) and An Garda Síochána (37). In addition, there are 16 members of staff from my own Department.

Additional Garda resources have also been made available to the Bureau in support of the operation of the recently established Special Crime Task Force.

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, Asset Profilers trained by the Bureau provide a criminal asset profiling service in each Garda Division in relation to persons or suspects operating within their area, with particular reference to those involved in serious criminal activity. Currently the number of trained Garda Asset Profilers is 192 plus Revenue Customs and Social Protection trained asset profilers making a total of 210 asset profilers throughout the State.

A number of vacancies at the Bureau are currently in the process of being filled including both a forensic accountant and a financial crime analyst vacancy.

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.

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.