Vol. 549 No. 2
32 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the steps being taken to speed up the publication of annual crime figures; when the annual report for 2001 will be published; if he will publish the preliminary figures available to him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6061/02]
I accept that I received the Annual Report of An Garda Síochána, 2000 from the Garda authorities at a later point in the yearly cycle than has previously been the case. This delay is solely attributed to the once-off heavy operational workload placed on the Garda organisation arising from the introduction of the Garda PULSE computer system. As the Garda Commissioner explained in his foreword to the Minister in the Annual Report 2000 "initially, the operational capabilities of the system were prioritised over the statistical function, hence the delay in issuing this report".
With respect to the Garda Annual Report 2001, I am informed by the Garda authorities that compilation and validation work on the crime statistics will not be completed for some time. Therefore, it is not possible for me to provide an indicative date for publication at this stage. Nevertheless, I am satisfied that the PULSE system will produce timely and accurate statistics in a readily understandable form over time.
