asked the Minister for Justice if she will make a statement on the kidnapping of a Dublin family; and the plans, if any, she has to deal with such a dastardly and heinous crime.
Private Notice Question. - Dublin Kidnapping.
First, I want to say that the Government, the Minister for Justice and I were shocked to learn of this dastardly crime in which Mr. Jim Lacey, a prominent banker, his wife, family and babysitter were subjected to a cowardly kidnapping ordeal. I am quite certain that all sides of the House will join with me in condemning the perpetrators of this outrageous and appalling crime. I was, however, relieved to learn that nobody was physically injured and that those who were abducted were subsequently released uninjured. Obviously, all members of the Lacey family and their babysitter were subjected to an horrific and traumatic experience and I sincerely hope that they will recover quickly from their awful ordeal. Over the past two decades there have, unfortunately, been a number of other kidnappings of prominent business persons all of which, thankfully, were successfully resolved. This latest kidnapping is the subject of a major Garda investigation and I am confident that the Garda will be successful in tracking down and bringing before the full rigours of the law the criminal gang responsible for this crime.
The House will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to say anything further about this incident at this stage while the Garda investigation is continuing.
With regard to the security of financial institutions, and in particular the protection of its personnel, I should explain that the Garda authorities have ongoing contact with the various banking federations and associations in the light of which they constantly review and update their security policies. It is unrealistic to think that Garda action alone can prevent the serious crime of kidnap. Any person who feels they or their families may be a kidnap target should take reasonable and prudent precautions. They should keep in close contact with the Garda and take all advice offered to them by the Garda, who have specialist knowledge in this area.
On behalf of the Fine Gael Party, I, and, I am sure, the House, want to be associated with good wishes to the Lacey family and their babysitter for a speedy recovery following their terrible ordeal.
May I ask the Minister, in view of the fact that there is a general appearance of lawlessness in parts of Dublin — a man was shot recently and robbery is a daily occurrence — whether the penalties for such crimes will be reviewed with a view to making those contemplating such cowardly and dastardly acts think twice before they embark on them? Will the Minister confirm that a full and vigorous Garda investigation will take place, with all the necessary resources being made available to hunt down those guilty of these terrible crimes?
The Garda authorities have assured the Minister that they have the capacity, strength and facilities necessary to track down these people and no effort will be spared in ensuring that the culprits are brought to justice. On the confiscation of the proceeds of crime, the Taoiseach has indicated to the House that it is hoped to bring forward in the next couple of weeks a Bill to deal with this matter. Members will welcome this measure because it is only right that people involved in criminal activity do not, with impunity, live off funds acquired in this way. The Criminal Law Act, 1976, provides for a maximum penalty of life imprisonment for kidnapping. The Law Reform Commission is at present preparing a report on sentencing policy and the Minister for Justice, on receipt of that report, will seriously consider the question of mandatory sentencing to strengthen existing legislation to combat crimes of this nature.
I am pleased that the Government will consider the question of mandatory sentences in these circumstances because life imprisonment sometimes means six or seven years and in the case of crimes of this kind the penalty should be greater. Would the Minister agree that the fact that the Garda strength is about 500 below the authorised and established level contributes to vandalism and lawlessness and a break down in order, allowing people to play the system to their own advantage? Will the Minister communicate to his colleague, the Minister for Justice, the view of most Members that the Garda force should be immediately brought up to full strength and that all the necessary Garda sources be deployed on the streets to deal with the current crime problem?
I wish to correct Deputy Mitchell's comment that life imprisonment means a term of imprisonment of about seven or eight years. Such comments are very often made, but it is not possible to go before the sentence review group until after at least seven years imprisonment — the average is about 11 years. In relation to the current strength of the Garda, considerable resources are made available by the Government to update and make provision for the most sophisticated systems to aid the Garda authorities to combat international and domestic crime of this nature. The Minister has been assured by the Garda Commissioner that there is no question of a lack of resources in dealing with these crimes. Nonetheless, in terms of criminal activity generally and the problem of law and order, discussions are proceeding in Government with a view to taking further initiatives in this regard. We are aware of the concern in the community, but it is not only a question of resources and Garda activity; quite a number of other aspects have to be dealt with. No effort will be spared in terms of overall national resources and a commitment to increasing Garda activity on the ground to protect people in their homes.
Will the Minister specifically ask his colleague, the Minister for Justice, to increase Garda numbers to the authorised level of 11,400?
The Deputy is well aware of the ongoing discussions in relation to ensuring that we have the maximum number of gardaí to deal with crime. As I said, no resources are being spared in this regard.