asked the Minister for Justice the percentage of the £100 million which was pledged in the anti-crime package announced in September 1980 that has been spent to date; and if he will give details of the expenditure.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Anti-Crime Package Expenditure.
14.
There is continuous expenditure by the Garda Síochána on a wide variety of resources and measures aimed at dealing with serious crime.
Records of this expenditure are not maintained in such a way as to provide the information sought in the question. Compilation of the information would involve the diversion of members of the Force from more important work and I am satisfied that this would not be justified having regard to the value of the information.
The Minister's reply seems to be totally evasive. Bearing in mind the figure of £100 million mentioned by him last September as being the cost of the anti-crime package, may I ask the Minister how much of the money has been voted towards implementing that package apart from the £1,000 included in the current Estimate?
If the Deputy could understand the situation he would readily accept the answer I have given him, that there is continuous expenditure by the Garda Síochána on a wide variety of resources and measures aimed at dealing with the serious crime situation we have. No effort of the Deputy's will succeed in saying that nothing is being done to improve police methods and operations. The Deputy should know that already the special task force has an additional number of units. It has been expanded and is operating very successfully. He should also know——
To all existing stations?
If the Deputy wants a good answer I shall give it to him.
Not evasive.
If he does not want it, it is easier for me not to give it. The Deputy should also know that divisional task forces have been established, that men have been selected for training, that some have completed their training already, that transport for the people who will be involved in the divisional task forces has been provided and equipment also, that a new national radio network is under way, that contracts have been entered into for equipment, that computer facility contracts have been entered into, that the officer training college which the Deputy tried to decry here some weeks ago is already working very successfully, that all candidates who passed the latest entrance examination for the Garda have been taken on, that consideration has been given to a new computer programme in the immediate future. These are matters the Deputy should know before he tries to condemn or knock out of hand what is being done.
A final supplementary.
I suppose I should thank the Minister——
A question.
——but his reply has nothing to do with the question I asked.
Of course it has
Will the Minister tell me straight and blunt in relation to the two major items in this £100 million package, the increase in the strength of the force from 10,000 to 12,000 and the provision of £42 million for helicopters and spotter planes for the Garda, has any money been provided in any fashion towards these two items and has there been any expenditure whatever in relation to these two main areas other than the expenditure of £10,525 out of the general Estimate in bringing the Minister to Amsterdam, Stockholm, Paris, Bonn and Rome on a series of trips ostensibly for the purpose of looking at equipment?
It is obvious from the Deputy's reply that he has no interest in the improvements that have been made by the Garda. It is obvious as well, from what he is saying, that he does not accept that many improvements have been made, that new developments have taken place and that the parts of the commissioner's plan on how to deal with armed crime are already in operation. The Deputy talks about the subject matter of Question No. 16 which he has had on the Order Paper, with regard to the recruiting of additional gardaí, but for some strange reason he has withdrawn the question and it is to be taken for written answer.
For obvious reasons the Minister did not answer the question.
If Deputy FitzGerald had been listening he would understand that the question was well and truly answered, but he was engaged in a conversation with——
(Interruptions.)
A final supplementary from Deputy Keating.
The Minister is codding the country.
Every effort is being made by the Garda to defeat the criminals.
(Interruptions.)
Deputy Keating, please.
We were always a constitutional party and never slightly——
I would like to ask the Minister a brief question and in so doing join with everybody in this House in welcoming the initiatives made so far. In relation to the question, is the Minister in a position to say how much of the money pledged in this so-called anti-crime package of £100 million has thus far been spent or committed? Even in rough terms, how much extra has the Minister allocated to date? On that question please could we have an answer?
I have already told the House of a number of items which were included——
They are on-going.
They are not on-going and this is what the Deputy should know before he starts asking questions. As I have already explained to the House, quite a number of measures which I have itemised or detailed here are part of the commissioner's plans to combat the armed criminal.
How much?
These are part of it and I cannot put a price on it, but it is going on and developing.
The Minister put a price on it, £100 million.
Questions Nos. 15 and 16 are for written reply.