I will not introduce all the officials who are with me, suffice to say that Mr. Val O'Donnell is one of the Assistant Secretaries of the Department of Justice, Mr. Pat Folan is involved in the Garda side and the other officials have assisted in the preparation of the Estimates. I wish to pay tribute to them for the work they have done in the Department of Justice, long before I became Minister for Justice.
I am very pleased to be appearing before the committee for its consideration of the Estimates for the Justice group of Votes. I hope the information I have to relate will be useful. In keeping with the manner in which Estimates debates are carried out I will try to be as helpful as possible in answering questions.
The total sum involved in the published figures for the Justice Votes is £589.575 million. This figure will fall to be adjusted following decisions taken yesterday by the Government in the light of the budgetary position — I will refer to this matter in greater detail later. The Committee will agree that the allocation of a sum of this magnitude to the Justice group of Votes is an indication of the Government's commitment to tackling crime in all its forms.
While on the subject of crime I wish to state that the provisional figures for 1994 show an increase in crime of 2.1 per cent as compared with the 1993 figures. An increase of 3.8 per cent was recorded in 1993. In 1993, in the Dublin Metropolitan area, which has the highest incidence of crime, indictable crime was up by 7.8 per cent on the previous year's figures. In 1994, the increase was only 1.8 per cent. I do not want Deputies to get the impression that I am happy that the rate of increase has slowed down. On the contrary, I want to see the level of crime in our towns and cities decrease and I am working towards that end.
It is essential that the fundamental causes of crimes be seriously addressed. The connection between certain social factors and crime is obvious. As I have already remarked in a different context, those involved in crime seem to come from depressingly similar backgrounds. The multi-agency approach to crime recognises that law enforcement alone without reference to the wider social context can never be the complete answer. Crime must be approached in an integrated, comprehensive manner involving everybody — nobody has a monopoly of wisdom in tackling crime.
As well as having an overall approach to crime and attempting to tackle it in the integrated way necessary for longer-term success, we also need individually tailored strategies to cope with different forms of offending. It is not possible in the course of a brief opening statement to comment on all forms of offending or on all strategies that might appropriately be applied, but I would like to comment on two — drugs and sexual offences.
I am determined that all possible steps be taken to deal with the drugs problem because drugs are at the root of most crimes committed today. The recent drug seizures by Garda and Customs follow a series of successful operations carried out by those agencies. These seizures show that the law enforcement agencies are successfully targeting the traffickers. However, there is no room for complacency. In this regard my Department has prepared a report on important aspects of law enforcement in relation to the drugs problem. As I have already said in the Dáil and Seanad, I will bring proposals to Government based on the report in the very near future. These proposals will see the best arrangements for achieving a cohesive and co-ordinated response to the drug trafficking problem by the existing law enforcement agencies put in place and will address the need for legislative changes to assist the law enforcement response and the contribution of the health and education areas in developing strategies to reduce demand for drugs. These proposals will be far-reaching in their effect and they will make a significant contribution in the fight against drugs.
An important element in the fight against drug trafficking is international co-operation. In the context of the drug problem at European level the Government has decided to set up an inter-departmental committee to examine the contribution which could be made under the existing Treaties to deal with the drugs problem in Ireland and so to examine the possibilities for a specific Irish initiative on drugs for the 1996 Intergovernmental Conference. Member states have long recognised the need for a co-ordinated response to the scourge of illegal drugs and, while progress has been made on this front, clearly a great deal more remains to be done. Important recent developments have been: the publication in June 1994 by the European Commission of a comprehensive European Union action plan to combat drugs, which is now being examined by all the concerned Council of Ministers; the establishment in Lisbon of a European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction; and the establishment in The Hague of the Europol Drugs Unit. The latter body has been set up pending the establishment of the European Police Office — Europol.
A convention to establish Europol is in the final stages of negotiation; ratification procedures in each member state will then follow. The Government is committed to playing its part in ensuring that efforts at the European and wider international levels to combat illegal drugs will be further developed and intensified.
It is both very clear and very understandable that sex offending, especially the issue of child sex abuse, is one of real concern to all right-thinking people. Child abuse is a complex issue. The fact that it was also a hidden issue means that we have, only in recent years, attempted to comprehend it and tried to cope with it. The nature and gravity of the offending disclosed in some cases is almost beyond the comprehension of most ordinary people.
Looked at purely from a law enforcement perspective, a primary requirement is that the Garda must be in a position to initiate investigations at the earliest possible stage. In this regard, my Department, together with the Garda and the Department of Health, has put in place measures designed to ensure that alleged offences are brought to the attention of the Garda Síochána at the earliest possible moment.
I am determined to put in place any legislative reforms necessary to tackle sexual offences and to ensure the protection of children and I am sure I can look forward to support on all sides of the Dáil in that regard. The committee will be aware that in February last the Central Criminal Court ruled that section 5 of the Punishment of Incest Act, 1908, continues to have full force and that, accordingly, all incest proceedings must be held in camera. The effect of the ruling is that not only are the press excluded, but health board social workers concerned for the welfare of a child incest victim cannot be told if the offender has received a sentence for incest. Because this created a potentially damaging situation for the welfare of child victims I decided that urgent action was necessary and, accordingly, I introduced the Criminal Law (Incest Proceedings) Bill, 1995, into the Seanad early in April. The Bill which has been significantly amended to take on board the concerns expressed by Senators is now at Committee Stage in the Dáil.
There are other issues relating to reporting of sexual offences which the Bill does not deal with. The nature of media reporting of child sexual abuse is one on which there are many views. Workers in the field of child sexual abuse, for example, may have particular insight to offer on this subject. I have decided, therefore, that before proceeding further it would be wise to open up this debate and hear the informed views of all interested parties. I intend, accordingly, to publish a consultation paper very quickly after the Bill is enacted with a firm commitment to bring forward such further proposals for law reform as may be required to this area with minimum delay.
Assisting the Garda to deal with crime is everyone's responsibility. To put it simply, gardaí cannot be on every street corner 24 hours a day. Schemes such as neighbourhood watch and community alert are vital in the fight against crime. They involve the critical element of community support and strengthen the relationship between gardaí and the local community in which they serve. As Minister for Justice, I want to see these schemes developed to the fullest possible extent.
Proceeding to the individual Votes, Vote 19 provides for the salaries and expenses of the office of the Minister for Justice and for certain other services such as the Data Protection Commissioner, the Garda Complaints Board, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal, the Forensic Science Laboratory, funding for criminal legal aid and for the payment of grants including a contribution to the expenses of the Irish Association for Victim Support. The Estimate for 1995 is for £23.905 million which represents an increase of 4 per cent on the 1994 outturn. On the issue of compensation for injuries criminally inflicted, I am pleased that I have managed to retain the amount of £4 million allocated for this purpose in 1994.
An additional subhead has been included in Vote No. 19. This relates to the proposed refugee applications board and appeals tribunal which will be established following the enactment of the Refugee Bill. As committee members are aware, the Refugee Bill, 1994, is currently before this committee for consideration. I am reviewing the terms of that Bill at present and I expect to be in a position to present a revised Bill shortly to take account of the points made during the debate this committee already had on the 1994 Bill.
Turning to Vote No. 20, for the Garda Síochána, the provision in this year's Estimates is £412.653 million. This represents an increase of approximately £12.9 million over last year's Estimates. The bulk of this additional funding will be spent on the implementation of the package of law and order measures announced by my predecessor on foot of recommendations included in the corporate strategy document which the Garda Commissioner presented to the Minister for Justice in 1993. While a significant amount of preparatory work was undertaken on these measures last year, I am glad that a number of these initiatives are now coming to fruition and work on the remainder is progressing steadily. The first batch of the 350 Garda trainees to be recruited this year commenced training at the Garda college on 18 April 1995. Further recruitment will continue, the intention being to maintain the strength of the force at about 11,000 members.
White collar crime has become a particular problem in recent years and to deal with this I have in the past few months obtained the approval of the Government for the establishment of a national bureau of fraud investigation. Considerable additional staff and resources are being made available to the bureau.
The staffing level in the bureau will be increased to the level recommended in the report of the Advisory Committee on Fraud which included the appointment of a chief superintendent as head of the bureau, two additional Garda inspectors and three professional accountants who will provide full-time accountancy skills to the bureau which are essential to the successful investigation of serious fraud. Their work will be underpinned by a new Fraud Offences Bill which will comprehensively amend and update the law on fraud offences with reference to recommendations made by the Law Reform Commission and the Government Advisory Committee on Fraud. Provision has also be included in this year's Estimates for the installation of an information technology system as well as specialised software to assist with the investigation of serious fraud.
I can also tell this committee that work is nearing completion on the installation of closed circuit television cameras in the Temple Bar area of Dublin as an aid to policing. I expect that the system will be operating shortly. The international experience shows that the installation of closed circuit cameras can cut crime in the area by as much as 33 per cent. Preliminary planning work has been completed on a closed circuit television system for Grafton Street and plans for the O'Connell Street area are under consideration at present. These systems, when operational, will be under the control and supervision of the Garda authorities. I am confident that this initiative will gradually improve the safety and security of those who frequent the areas concerned.
In recent years the Garda Síochána have been engaged in a number of youth diversion projects, such as the Give Ronanstown a Future Today known as the GRAFT Scheme in Ronanstown and the Killinarden Engages Youth, known as the KEY, scheme which were established to divert young people away from crime. This is an exciting development which I understand has yielded great results to date. A further two schemes were introduced last year, one in Moyross in Limerick and the other in the Knocknaheeny-Hollyhill area of Cork. In addition, I have provided funding this year for the setting up of the WEB Working to Enhance Blanchardstown project, in the Blanchardstown area. These schemes involve the participation of the gardaí, voluntary groups, the business community and local youths and have been particularly successful to date in diverting young people away from crime.
I regard as a particular priority the finalisation of a Children Bill dealing with juvenile justice. The new Bill will replace in its entirety the Children Act, 1908, and will represent the most comprehensive reform in the law in this area since the foundation of the State.
The Garda Síochána Estimate for 1995 includes a provision of £7.74 million for the current phase of the Garda Information Technology Plan, a four year programme costing £26 million. The consultancy and planning phases of his plan are currently being finalised while, at the same time, progress is also being made on the implementation of the plan.
The Development and installation of an up-to-date computerised fingerprint system is a crucial part of the next phase in the process. This will constitute a major improvement on the current position where fingerprint comparisons have to be carried out manually. It is intended that this system will provide the gardaí with fingerprint technology second to none, capable of quickly checking scene of crime marks against the whole national fingerprint data base. It is also intended that this system will have an upgrade capacity sufficient to take advantage of further technological developments as these become available. This fingerprint system will be up and running early in 1996.
Planning work is also going ahead on the major portion of the Garda Information Technology Plan which will involve the development of an integrated computer system bringing together the various existing Garda information technology systems and providing across the board upgrades in technology to give the gardaí access to the benefits of recent technological innovations.
Also included in the Estimate is a provision of £1.8 million for communication equipment for the gardaí. The main items to which this relates are the installation of a new command and control centre for Cork and the development of a new telecommunications network for the gardaí in the Dublin area. Both of these improvements will lead to increased operational efficiency for the gardaí in combating crime in our two largest cities.
Turning to the Prisons Vote, Vote 21, the provision is £111.568 million. This represents an increase of £5.5 million, or 5 per cent, on the 1994 outturn. The Estimates for the Vote take account of the Department's five year plan for the Management of Offenders published last June. This document contains 53 specific recommendations for the development of the prison system on which work in my Department is ongoing. The main increases are the allocations for better prison facilities and for staffing and community facilities for the Probation and Welfare Service.
The single biggest area of expenditure on the Vote is salaries, wages and allowances for prison staff for which there is a provision of £72.035 million in subhead A. This compares with last year's outturn of £72.317 million. The provision comprises basic pay for staff, as well as allowances such as those for unsocial hours working, overtime, employer's PRSI, and salaries and fees for doctors and chaplains. The increasing demands on the prisons in terms of pressure on accommodation, management of the inmate population, escorts of prisoners to courts, hospitals and between prisons and so on are reflected directly under this heading.
There has been an unrelenting increase in these demands in recent years as the committee will be aware. This has resulted, in particular, in escalating overtime costs, principally because the nature of the services provided within the prisions and to the courts means that demands for staff must be responded to immediately. Last year, £17.2 million was spent on overtime, a very high figure by any standards. In order to tackle this problem, an additional 66 new staff will be assigned to reduce dependence on overtime. The 1995 provision in subhead A therefore reflects an increased provision for basic pay and allowances and a reduced provision —£11.1 million — for overtime.
Specific funds have again been provided in these Estimates for the replacement of staff on training courses and this I am pleased to say will enable the very important areas of training in health and safety, suicide awareness, control of restraint, fire safety and emergency planning, including breathing apparatus training, to continue. I am committed to the development of staff training to enable staff to perform their duties to the highest standard expected of them.
The committee will be aware of the Government's decision announced yesterday to defer the Castlerea and womens's prison projects. That decision has been taken in the light of the budgetary situation. I will be examining the implications so far as the management of offenders is concerned. I will be considering, in this context, the implications of the development of the peace process and the opportunities that may be offered by the extension of community sanctions and measures as an alternative to custodial sanctions.
In the five year plan there are a number of measures, aimed at developing further community based sanctions, for suitable offenders. Recruitment to fill a number of existing vacancies is ongoing and an additional £1 million over and above the 1994 outturn figure of £5.01 million has been provided for this purpose in 1995.
A significant number of the additional staff will be assigned to the intensive probation supervision scheme. Under this scheme, offenders are challenged to confront their offending behaviour, examine its causes and consequences, not just for themselves but also the victims of their crimes, and to adopt a more constructive lifestyle. The success rate, measured by the numbers who remain out of crime and by the attendance and level of commitment to the programme, is approximately 75 per cent.
There is also provision of £1.12 million for the acquisition and renovation of premises for use as probation centres. This represents £0.8 million of an increase over the 1994 outturn.
The extent to which both the Castlerea and women's prison projects will be deferred will depend on the outcome of my examination of the effects of the peace process and the likely success with community sanctions and measures. My overriding concern in this context will be to ensure that progress and actions taken are consistent with the aim of the protection of the community and that I will take whatever steps are needed to achieve that purpose.
The committee will, I am sure, be aware of the recent published Mountjoy Visiting Committee Report for 1994, which had critical remarks to make about the level of drug abuse among inmates in the prison. Because drug taking is a covert activity it is difficult to make categoric statements about its true extent in any setting. What cannot be denied is that, in common with the experience in other jurisdictions, drug abuse by prison inmates especially in Mountjoy Prison, the State's largest prison, with a high turnover of offenders, is a problem of serious proportions.
Finding solutions to this problem is far from easy. Somewhere between 6,000 and 7,000 offenders are expected to pass through Mountjoy Prison this year. At a conservative estimate, perhaps 3,000 of these will have a background of serious drug abuse in the community and a great many of them, sadly, will be visited by friends determined to see to it that supplies are maintained during their time in custody. Considerable ingenuity is employed by offenders inside and outside for this purpose which is, I am afraid, beyond the capacity of certain strategies, such as the use of sniffer dogs to mention one option that has been publicly aired. But it goes without saying that the authorities are obliged to employ whatever strategies seem likely to be successful and also to be acceptable in human rights terms. Many strategies are employed with success.
I can inform the committee that three specific new options are under active consideration for the management of drug dependent offenders in prison. They are the continuance on methadone maintenance for offenders who come into prison while already on a maintenance programme; the creation of a detox facility in the medical care unit in Mountjoy Prison and the creation of a very high security drug free unit in Mountjoy Prison. Finally, I want to assure the committee that a wide range of new security measures have been approved by me in recent months to prevent, as far as is possible, the smuggling of drugs to prisoners.
Before I conclude on the subject of prisons, I am sure the committee is aware that the Transfer Of Sentenced Persons Bill, 1995, is now before the Dáil and the committee. This legislation, when enacted, will enable Ireland to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on the the Transfer of Sentenced Persons as well as an EU Agreement on the Application of the Convention among member states.
I now move to the Courts Vote, Vote 22. The courts play a vital role in the administration of justice and I have broad responsibility for providing the services necessary to enable the court to function efficienly and effectively. The Courts Vote provides the funding necessary to equip the court to carry out their role.
The Vote covers the usual costs, such as salaries, office equipment, accommodation and telecommunications. The estimated net cost of the courts system in 1995 taking into account the gross current expenditure and revenue accruing to the State through court fees, fines and so on is approximately £34 million.
I am very concerned by delays in the hearing of cases in the courts. The present level of these delays is too high. In this context I am reviewing the provisions of the Courts and Court Officers Bill, 1994, which has remained before the Dáil since the change of Government and I expect to be in a position to proceed with my proposals in this regard shortly. However, in accordance with the commitment in the policy agreement, A Government of Renewal, a review of the provisions of this Bill is being carried out to ensure that the measures it contains will adequately address the need to tackle the backlog of cases to be heard in the courts. This review is being carried out as a matter of urgency and will be completed very shortly.
Another serious problem facing the courts at present is the standard of court accommodation and this is also a matter of great concern to me. I am aware that much of the court accommodation around the country is seriously inadequate and is failing to provide the facilities necessary for persons coming before the courts, for members of the legal profession and for courts staff. I am glad that this year I have secured an increase of £1.75 million in the allocation for expenditure on court accommodation making a total of £7.594 million being provided for capital and maintenance projects. This funding will allow new and refurbishment projects to proceed this year on a number of courthouses, including Galway, Cork, Clonmel, Carrick-on-Shannon, Loughrea, Ballina and Ballinasloe. All new, refurbishment and renovation projects will fully address the need to provide full and modern day facilities for all aspects of court business.
In addition, other courthouse projects are being identified and included in a planned maintenance programme which will include maintenance of provincial court accommodation and which will take account of the need to implement fully the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Regulations. I intend to see a substantial improvement in the standard of court accommodation throughout the country during my term as Minister for Justice.
I am committed to making the courts more user-friendly and accessible to all. In this regard a range of information leaflets are in the course of preparation for the benefit of adult and child witnesses and the parents of child witnesses. These leaflets will explain court procedures and will aim to allay any fears people might have at the prospect of attending court. The first of these leaflets should be available for issue later this year.
Facilities in courthouses are also being made available to the Irish Association for Victim Support. Permanent accommodation has been made available to the association in the Four Courts in Dublin, and in newly refurbished courthouses. Accommodation will similarly be provided in all future courthouses renovation projects.
The computerisation of the courts service is integral to providing a modern efficient and effective courts service. My Department proposes to implement an information technology plan designed to bring about a more efficient and effective courts service. The Department is also watching with interest the operation of pilot multi-media systems in the other jurisdictions such as developments in court stenography and the use of closed circuit television linking courthouses, prisons and even hospitals which may contribute to the efficient use of court time and resources.
There are of course wider issues, such as the establishment of a courts commission, on which I will also be coming forward with specific proposals in accordance with the commitments contained in the Governments policy agreement, A Government of Renewal. I will continue to take whatever measures are necessary within the resources available to me to maintain and improve the courts system.
Turning to Vote No. 23 for the Land Registry and Registry of Deeds, a sum of £14.180 million is being provided in Vote No. 23 for 1995. This represents a 22 per cent increase on the 1994 provisional outturn. The additional funds provided are mainly to cover salary costs, including the salary costs of additional staff and investment in technology to improve the efficiency of the registries.
The committee will be aware of the Government's decision to reconstitute the Land Registry and Registry of Deeds as a commercial semi-State body. The interim board to the registries, which was appointed in July 1992, is continuing its deliberations in this regard. Progress is also being made in regard to the administrative and legislative steps necessary to convert the registries to semi-State status.
The committee will, of course, be aware that during the 1980s an arrears problem grew in the Land Registry due to cutbacks in staff numbers under the embargoes which then applied to public service staffing numbers in general. Over the last number of years steps have been taken to address this problem. Staff numbers have been increased and an ambitious five year information technology development plan has been embarked on. As a result of these measures the level of arrears has been reduced.
In 1994, the overall intake and output of Land Registry applications set new record figures with intake up 11 per cent over 1993 and output up by 13.25 per cent. Similarly, in the Registry of Deeds there were substantial increases in the number of deeds lodged for registration and registrations made. I am happy to record that staff commitment in the Land Registry and the Registry of Deeds ensured that the challenge of dealing with an unprecedented intake of dealings was met by sustaining the high levels of output achieved during 1993 and actually improving on them in 1994.
A significant achievement during the year was the processing of 133,895 applications for copy file plan maps. In the face of an enormous increase in intake of applications for copy maps, due primarily to the need for maps for EU grant schemes, the registries showed their capacity to respond to the pressures imposed. Against an increase in excess of 55 per cent over the pre-1993 levels of requests for such maps, the Land Registry actually reduced the arrears of copy map applications from 12,330 at the end of 1993 to 5,585 at the end of 1994.
The final Vote in the Justice group of Votes is in respect of the Office of Charitable Donations and Bequests — Vote 24. The provision in 1995 is £213,000, an increase of £44,000, 26 per cent on the 1994 outturn. The increased funding provides for the recruitment of additional staff for the office and for other small increases in expenditure.
In conclusion, I thank the chairman for allowing me this opportunity to outline briefly the basis for my Department's Vote provisions. If Deputies have any topics which they want to raise in relation to the Estimates, I will endeavour, as best I can, to answer questions in relation to each of the Votes.