I propose to take Question No. 16 and Priority Question No. 36 together.
It is not the practice for Ministers for Justice to make statements to the House about the progress of specific Garda operations except in singular instances where the circumstances of an operation are so exceptional that such a course is deemed to be appropriate. In general terms, I can say that the Garda authorities have informed me that a number of measures have been introduced to counter the problems of armed crime. These involve the redeployment of certain Garda resources and a continual review of the levels of protection to be provided at particular times and places, as well as other matters. I do not intend to go into any further detail about these measures. Garda efforts might well be adversely affected were I to do so. There are indications that the measures being taken by the Garda are proving to be effective. The Garda authorities have informed me that the provisional crime figures for 1987 indicate a significant decrease in the number of armed raids in that year as compared with the figures for 1986.