I apologise to the House for my late arrival. I was held up by a Fianna Fáil Member.

It could be worse. The Deputy could not have been in better company.

I apologise to the Taoiseach. In the last number of weeks I have had the opportunity to attend public meetings in Dublin dealing with antisocial behaviour. At a dozen or so of those meetings it was obvious that there is serious concern among members of the public at the rate of increase in the figures for assaults and so on. Deputy Richard Bruton has released information given to him arising from parliamentary questions which shows that the total number of headline offences in Dublin has increased by 8,700, up 23% since 2000. Serious assaults have almost trebled, up 166% from 12 per week in 2000 to 33 per week at present. On top of that some 40 minor assaults per week are recorded.

Detection rates have fallen sharply. They were down seven points to 32% in 2004 and these lower detection rates mean that 4,200 fewer serious crimes are now being solved. It is perfectly obvious from the figures given to Deputy Bruton that Blanchardstown, Tallaght and Coolock are the areas where most of these crimes are taking place. It is having a serious impact on the quality of life of citizens in Dublin. The growth of crime in these areas alone accounts for 50% of total crime incidence in Dublin. Of equal concern is the fact that detection rates are plummeting. They are now four fifths of what they were four yeas ago. In seven Garda districts the decline in the detection rates is down ten points or more. In one case it is down by 17%. Two Garda districts, Bray and Terenure, now have detection rates of less than one in five for very serious offences.

We have had much bombast, words, waffle and gung-ho from the absent Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform concerning how these matters are being dealt with while asserting that criminality, gangland warfare and the rest of it is the sting of a dying wasp. The figures given to Deputy Bruton and released from his Department show that to be a complete and utter contradiction. I want to know what the Government is going to do about this and what plans are afoot to provide the resources for a restructuring of Garda manpower to deal with these incidents. The figures speak for themselves and we are not being given the truth by the Government in dealing with this very serious matter.

They might apply zero tolerance to the man who is Minister.

I can return to the figures in two minutes. Deputy Kenny is giving a list of statistics across some of the areas which is not compatible with the overall figures for the last few years.

That is not true. They are up 35% since 2000.

Deputy Jim O'Keeffe must allow his leader to hear the answer.

I will come back to that. More importantly, the Deputy has asked what the Government has been doing in this area. We have put additional resources and numbers into the Garda, particularly into some of the areas mentioned such as Blanchardstown, where there has been a particularly difficult crime situation over the last few years. The Garda Síochána, using all its specialist resources, has gone into those areas, set up roadblocks and armed patrols and done house to house searches. It has gone in to break some of the crime gangs in those areas and has had considerable success in the detection and prosecution of criminals and in terms of the numbers of guns recovered and drug seizures. Separate units have been set up to deal with gangland killings. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, both this year and last, has provided an enormous increase in Garda overtime in these areas.

There are no community gardaí.

The number of community gardaí has been increased. The number of headline crimes recorded in 2004 compared to 2003 has decreased by 4%, and by 14% overall. These are the figures from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Perhaps somebody else is doing a separate set of statistics, but these are the official figures.

They are up 35% since 2000.

The latest figures expose the lie from the Opposition benches that crime rates have increased. They have not.

Where has zero tolerance gone?

The 2004 figures show that despite more precise and more accurate recording of crime by the PULSE system which now includes all statistics, that crime has fallen from about 28.4 incidents per 100,000 of the population some years ago, to 24 per 100,000. It is still too high, but the Garda, in terms of its resources, overtime, manpower and special units, including Operation Anvil, which was launched last week, is doing a good job in these areas. It is not true that they are totally lawless areas.

That is codology.

The Taoiseach deserves some type of accolade for the confusion that comes out in his answers at all times. The source of this information is not some pie in the sky. Rather, it is the reply to a parliamentary question given on Tuesday, 10 May 2005. These are the official statistics from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform as given to Deputy Bruton. For the Taoiseach's information, headline assaults recorded in 2000 and 2004, respectively, are as follows: Blanchardstown — 30 in 2000 and 146 in 2004, an increase of 386%; Bray — 15 in 2000 and 70 in 2004, an increase of 366%. These are true and factual statistics. The recorded headline offences rose from 1,821 to 3,554, an increase of 95%. Coolock is up 66% and Tallaght 64%. These are the official statistics from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

The detection rates have fallen. In Donnybrook it is down by 17%, in Santry by 14%, Lucan by 13%, Blackrock and Blanchardstown by 11%, Coolock by 10% and so on. These are the official statistics. What we have from the Government is not zero tolerance, but zero performance. Of the 40,000 public servants recruited since 2000, less than 1% of them have been frontline gardaí to deal with detection rates of all the serious assaults and headline offences imposed and put upon the public. It is not zero tolerance but zero performance.

The Taoiseach is embarrassed.

In 17 out of the 18 Dublin districts headline offences are up and detection rates for offences are down. This is appalling in terms of the Government's ability to ensure the public are protected from vandals, thugs, criminals and gangland warfare. The Taoiseach has failed utterly in this respect.

We have never had more gardaí on the streets than at present. That is a statistical fact.

The Taoiseach is codding himself. He is living in cloud cuckoo land.

The overall figures I am giving are factual. Deputy Kenny can take individual areas and I have already raised the issue about Blanchardstown but that does not take from what I stated, namely that even though there are 400,000 more people in the country, an increase from 3.6 million to 4.04 million, headline crime is down 14%.

No, that is wrong.

Murder and manslaughter is down 13%, sexual assault is down 28%, aggravated burglary crime is down 14%, the figures for theft from the person are down 14% and the figures for robberies from the person are down 14%.

The figures are down from what? The Taoiseach is even misleading himself.

Allow the Taoiseach to continue without interruption.

There are individual areas where crime is still too high. I do not want to go into the statistics because as long as there is one crime it is a crime too many.

These are not statistics with which we are dealing but people.

The figures were 73,000 in 2000 and 99,000 last year.

Deputy Kenny cannot come into the House and give figures for the overall position that shows that crime levels are up when the overall figures are down.

The figures were 72,000 four years ago and 99,000 last year. Those are the national figures.

The Government will continue to increase the number of gardaí on the street. We have provided for additional overtime, additional resources for specialist units and more prison places for those who are convicted. We have far more prison places now than we had previously, and they are all full. Detection rates cannot be down when that is the case. A criminal justice Bill with tough provisions is before the House and I hope it will be passed this session. The Government will continue to deal with the thugs and vandals who try to upset the life of ordinary, decent people.

Is the Taoiseach near reaching zero yet?