asked the Minister for Justice the number of convictions in each District Court area to date in 1979 for drunken driving.

Statistics of convictions for drinking-and-driving offences in each District Court area are not available and could only be compiled by the allocation of considerable staff resources to the task, which would not be warranted. However, certain statistics for the main categories of those offences have been compiled for each Garda division and they are set out in the form of a tabular statement which, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to have circulated with the Official Report.

Following is the statement:

Convictions for drinking-and-driving offences up to 30 June 1979 per Garda division.

In addition to the offences specified above, there are some related offences for which convictions have been recorded but for which statistics are not at present available. These offences are:—

(1) being in charge of a mechanically propelled vehicle while drunk, (2) being in charge of M.P.V. with a blood/alcohol or urine/alcohol concentration above prescribed limit and (3) refusing to provide preliminary specimen of breath to a garda.

(Cavan-Monaghan): Have the Supreme Court yet given their decision on the validity of the regulations regarding the taking of blood?

That is a separate question.

I understand that there are a number of test cases still to be resolved by the courts.

(Cavan-Monaghan): That means that the regulations are more or less in limbo at the moment.

There are some district justices, particularly in the west, adjourning cases as a result of the test cases before the higher courts.

I find it hard to believe that statistics are not available.

Statistics are available and they are being circulated with the Official Report but they are not available as sought by Deputy Desmond in his question, for each District Court area. They are available for each Garda divisional area.