I am advised by the Garda authorities that there has been no increase in the number of assaults in Sligo town in the recent past. The incident outlined in the newspaper cutting provided by the Deputy refers to one highly publicised assault which took place on 19 March 2001. I understand that the gardaí are following a definite line of inquiry into this assault. I am also informed that the other two incidents outlined in the correspondence forwarded by the Deputy occurred in 1992 and 1997. In the view of the Garda authorities, public order problems in Sligo are no greater than in any other comparable provincial town.
The Deputy may be aware that I announced last November that a total of £12 million was to be allocated towards the installation of CCTV systems nation-wide over the next three years – as part of the Garda CCTV expansion programme. I am happy to say that an application for a Garda CCTV system in Sligo town is being considered in the context of this programme.