Tackling gun crime and tightening gun controls are key priorities for this government. Against that background it is regrettable that the Deputy's Party has actively opposed legislative proposals to tackle gang land crime and tighten gun-controls. I am informed by the Garda authorities that there were in total 86 cases of murder in which a firearm was used from 2006 to 2008 and in 2009 up to 6 December.
Our criminal law has been significantly strengthened in recent years. Many of these changes are targeted at fighting gangland crime. The Criminal Justice Acts of 2006 and 2007, in particular, introduced wide ranging reforms to strengthen the capacity of An Garda Síochána to tackle serious crime. The bail laws have been strengthened to allow the prosecution mount a more effective challenge to bail applications. I have also secured Government approval to commence work on a new Bail Bill to consolidate and update bail law with a view to presenting a clear, accessible and modern statement of the law.
A significant further strengthening of the law dealing with those involved in criminal organisations took place with the enactment of the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009. Other significant pieces of legislation introduced to target organised crime include the Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Act, which provides a statutory framework for evidence obtained by means of covert surveillance to be used in criminal trials, and the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 which further tightens the legislative provisions relating to guns and knives and similar weapons.
A further important development, which is currently being progressed through the Houses of the Oireachtas, is the Criminal Procedure Bill 2009 which gives effect to the measures contained in the Justice for Victims Initiative. The Bill provides for reform of the law on victim impact statements and proposes to end the ban on retrying people who have been acquitted in specified circumstances. I expect that the Criminal Justice (Forensic Sampling and Evidence) Bill, which will provide for the establishment and operation of a DNA database, will be published in the very near future.
Under Operation Anvil, up to 29 November, 2009, over 2,800 firearms have been recovered. There have also been over 8,700 arrests for serious crimes such as murder, serious assault, robbery and burglary and over 83,700 searches for weapons, drugs and stolen goods. An Garda Síochána will continue to address the issue of illegal guns relentlessly through Operation Anvil.