Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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125. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his views on the latest CSO statistics on crime. [16719/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical agency, is responsible for the publication of recorded crime statistics. The CSO official recorded crime statistics for Q4 of 2016, show welcome decreases in a number of the main categories of crime that affect all our communities, including: burglary (30%), robbery (18%), theft (14%) and public order offences (12%) for the twelve months of 2016 when compared to the same period in 2015 - all of which parallels the implementation of Operation Thor. Furthermore, there have been notable decreases in kidnapping (22%), fraud (12%), weapons and explosive offences (11%) and damage to property and the environment offences (12%).

While most categories of crime show a positive trend, there are certain categories that have showed an increase, for example sexual offences (+9%). In this context, the Deputy will be aware that I have signed an Order commencing certain provisions of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 with effect from Monday 27 March 2017. This is one of the most comprehensive and wide-ranging piece of sexual offences legislation ever to be introduced and has been a priority for me as Minister for Justice and Equality. It is an essential piece of legislation that brings additional protections to some of the most vulnerable people in our community. It contains the right laws for these times, laws that will protect victims of the most vicious and depraved crimes.　 The provisions of this Bill enhance and update laws to combat the sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children. It widens the range of offences associated with child pornography to ensure that no one who participates in any way in the creation, distribution, viewing or sharing of such abhorrent material can escape the law.

The Deputy will appreciate that it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for the allocation of policing resources, and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. I am assured by that the allocation of Gardaí is continually monitored and reviewed taking into account all relevant factors including crime trends, demographics, and relevant security assessments so as to ensure optimal use is made of Garda resources. In this context, I can assure the Deputy that the Government remains committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána have the necessary resources to provide high visibility policing, tackle serious criminality and give effect to a range of large-scale operations.An additional €88.5 million is to be provided to An Garda Síochána in 2017 to maintain the necessary policing response, including,

- Concentrated policing targeting gang related crime

- Continued targeting of burglaries and related crime via Operation Thor

- Continued support for measures against terrorism

Underpinning all of these measures is the Government's commitment to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime. The Government has in place a plan to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve members and 4,000 civilians. In 2017, funding has been provided for the recruitment of 800 Garda recruits and up to 500 civilians to support the wide ranging reform plan in train in An Garda Síochána. Approximately 300 appointments will also be made to the Garda Reserve.