Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 February 2005
457 Mr. J. O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the large numbers of offences of sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault and rape reported annually as opposed to the low level of convictions recorded; the reasons for this situation; and the steps he proposes to deal with the matter. [4045/05]
View answerThe recently published provisional headline crime statistics for 2004 show sexual offences generally decreased by 17% or 329 cases when compared to 2003; there was a decrease of 28% or 403 cases in sexual assaults. There is an increase in the number of cases of rape of a female and rape section 4. There is a high attrition rate in rape cases in Ireland, and many cases reported to the gardaí do not reach prosecution stage for a variety of reasons. The Director of Public Prosecutions is statutorily independent in the performance of his function and it would, therefore, be inappropriate for me to comment on his decisions.
In 2003 my Department approved joint funding for comprehensive research into attrition rates in rape cases. The research, which is entitled The Understanding of Attrition, Early Withdrawal, the Trial Process and Identifying Possible Changes to Support Complainants in Rape Cases, is being carried out by the Department of Law at the National University of Ireland, Galway and the Rape Crisis Network Ireland and is expected to be completed in 2006.
This research should provide a greater understanding as to why some victims choose not to report cases to the Garda, what can be done about under reporting and why, of the cases that are reported, only a relatively small percentage result in a court hearing. Following this, action will, as appropriate, be taken to resolve any issue which may arise.
