I am anxious to refer to the motion in my name, the committee on crime, lawlessness and vandalism. I should like to thank the Government who in a short period agreed with my party to the terms of reference for this select committee. All the committees being established today are important and I trust they will receive the support and interest of all Members. The committee I am referring to is probably the most important one to be established. It may not be for those representing rural areas but it is for Members from city areas. I gather from my colleagues who represent other cities that the problem of crime, vandalism and lawlessness is second in importance only to the unemployment question.
The three aspects that must be dealt with by the committee are the administration of justice, the implementation of the criminal law and existing legislation. They will open up a massive area for debate. Whatever about completing the work of another committee in six months, I know that the committee under discussion now will be able to complete only sections of their brief over a number of years. It is also expected that the committee will report back to the House. The Criminal Law Jurisdiction Bill, which will be circulated shortly, will provoke a lot of discussion; but a lot of the legislation covering crime and vandalism has not been looked at for years. Most of the rulings have been made under Acts which date back to 1850 or 1890. Those interested in doing something constructive to overcome the major problems we have in crime and vandalism in Dublin and other cities should work actively on the new committee. Many Members have legal experience and, consequently, we can bring in reports quickly and get some of the matters which cause problems in the courts dealt with.
We have the bizarre situation in regard to the drugs scene and the crazy laws in regard to car thefts. Last year there were 21,894 car thefts in Dublin city but a person apprehended is charged only with not having a driving licence rather than a more serious offence. We have outdated laws in regard to bail and the difficult position of the Garda who try to implement the law. Our outdated courts continue to hand down rulings from a different age. The new committee will be a continuous voice in regard to those problems. I hope it will meet through the summer with the exception of the month of August. I am sure people will accept that we are entitled, like everybody else, to four weeks holidays. I hope to be selected to act on this new committee and, if so, I will be very active.
If we have a general understanding that Members should attend the meetings without being whipped to them, the committee system will succeed. It should not be a question of Members paying lip service to them or running away from them. Our friends in the press should spend whatever time they can covering the meetings of those committees. The House is too formal for a normal debate and we get caught up too often in party politics and silly issues to the detriment of important issues. On the Order Paper today there is reference to very important legislation but much of it is far removed from the problems affecting the country. All the committees can contribute in a major way to reform of this House and this will be acknowledged by people outside the House. If the committees are effective the press — they are fair regardless of what some may say — and the people will realise we are doing our job in a proper manner.
Even though he is absent I should like to congratulate the Minister for Industry and Energy, Deputy John Bruton, for his hard work in all this matter. After Christmas we had a debate on Dáil reform. Even though people criticised us and said we must have nothing to do, we followed up the matter with meetings between the Taoiseach, the leader of my party, the Government Chief Whip, the Minister of State, Deputy Fennell, and others in order to come to final agreement. I should like to thank the Taoiseach for his co-operation in facilitating our party in the recommendations we put forward.
