Just when most law-abiding citizens felt this country's crime problem could not get worse after the killing of Ms Donna Cleary some weeks ago, there was an extraordinary drive-by shooting on the M50 on Sunday morning. People could not believe that rival gangs could engage in such a shoot-out at dawn on a busy motorway. Most citizens are in disbelief that somebody — possibly an innocent motorist — was not killed, just when they thought things could not get any worse. It seems that young thugs are visiting nightclubs in flak jackets, with deadly weapons stowed away in high-powered vehicles which they have secured from their ill-gotten gains. They are prepared to risk a shoot-out on a busy motorway because they know the chances of being detected or convicted are minimal. It should be borne in mind, in this context, that Deputy O'Donoghue told the Fianna Fáil Ard-Fheis on 21 April 1997, a couple of months before he became Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, that "for Fianna Fáil there is no acceptable level of crime".

The Taoiseach will appreciate that the serious crime to which I refer is being fuelled by the drugs racket. That is what is really behind most of the serious crime we are experiencing. Cocaine-crazed young thugs are prepared to regard human life as expendable so they can get their hands on the lucrative and obscene wealth that comes from the drugs racket which is plaguing and ravaging many communities in Dublin and elsewhere. What is the Garda Síochána's response to this problem? Is the intelligence that is available to the force defective? Is the Garda looking for more powers? Is it looking for more resources? Does the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, understand not only that he has political accountability in this House for the law, but also that he has political accountability in the House for the Garda? I remind the Taoiseach of a statement made in the House on 27 June 1995 by the current Minister, Deputy O'Donoghue:

In every county old people spend sleepless nights in fear of marauding intruders. In every house parents are increasingly and justifiably in fear of the free availability of drugs. On every street of every town and village people walk in fear of crime. Our streets have been taken from us by criminals. They rule by threat, intimidation and force.

It was not true then, but sadly one can only come to the conclusion that it is true now.

As regards the incident, at 4.30 a.m. on 26 March a shooting occurred between the M50 motorway and the Lucan road. A car containing five passengers, two male and three female, had several shots fired at it. Two of the passengers were wearing bullet-proof vests. The driver of the car received a flesh wound to the elbow and was brought to hospital. He was reluctant to stay and discharged himself. He declined to make any comment. He had sustained gunshot wounds just two weeks previously on a Saturday morning in the Finglas area. He also declined to make a comment at that stage. The other four passengers in the car have made voluntary statements. The scene was preserved and a search was conducted of a section of the M50 to locate anything of evidential value.

Deputy Rabbitte knows and correctly said that where this gang of thugs is concerned, most of this has to do with drugs. They are probably involved in other areas of crime as well. The Garda has been actively involved against them for a considerable time. Significant resources have been deployed on Operation Anvil in terms of numbers and overtime. The Garda Commissioner has assured the Minister that the level of resources will enable the force to deploy significant intelligence driven methods and high intensity operations against organised crime, especially drugs and particularly in this area.

Operation Anvil was set up to deal with the difficulties in the west Dublin area. The Garda is concentrating substantial resources in terms of manpower, overtime and intelligence gathering on what it considers to be a highly dangerous group of criminals. With a view to augmenting these efforts, the Garda Commissioner has allocated 50 additional gardaí to the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which I referred to last week. Their sole duty is to target the groups involved in organised crime. That unit is headed by a detective chief superintendent.

To date Operation Anvil has yielded 1,792 arrests, including 33 for murder, 374 firearms seizures, 3,934 vehicle seizures, 26,231 Garda checkpoints, 8,347 searches for drugs, 873 for thefts and 776 for firearms. These figures show the level of activity but also indicate the level of viciousness involved in these gangs. We have seen their activities over the past six months. If the Deputy wants, I will go back over the figures for 1994 to 1996. However, I believe he knows them and that is not really the point. Obviously the Criminal Justice Bill will help in some of these areas. However, on reading the reports I am convinced that it is not just a question of resources. Like me, Deputy Rabbitte might say that if a person gets shot on a Saturday morning, refuses to say anything and releases himself from hospital only to get shot two weeks later by fly-past gangs and say nothing again, he should perhaps be arrested for his own safety.

Is there anywhere to put him?

It should be investigated.

That does not seem to be what happens, however.

I heard the first part of the Taoiseach's reply describing what happened on Sunday morning near where I live. To be honest, it sounded more like the Garda report. I do not know whether the Taoiseach is auditioning for a part on "Crimeline" or taking responsibility, as Head of Government, for what is happening out in gangland. It is fair enough to say that the figures for Operation Anvil show the level of activity, criminality and the real threat that exists.

It is a tragedy in the middle of all of this that the Government is undermining the national drugs strategy which was designed to reduce demand for drugs. The lead community member of the drugs strategy, Mr. Fergus McCabe, felt obliged to resign because of the manner in which it is not being supported by Government and the way the community input is being diminished.

At the same time we have this extraordinary explosion whereby, for example, a 27 year old in the constituency of my colleague, Deputy Burton, was shot because he owed a debt of €500. That is the level it has reached. It is being driven by the drugs craze. There is no sign of the Government being in control. When the Taoiseach talks about Operation Anvil, the fact is that out of 75 killings in the five years I mentioned last week, there have been 12 convictions. These young thugs believe they can do this with impunity. They believe they will not be brought to justice and that on a lottery they have a great chance of escaping conviction. As matters stand, they are right.

It is all very well for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to fulminate into any number of microphones about any number of issues he cares to think about, including the Taoiseach's political prospects. However, what is being said to people who believe that it is the first duty of a Government to provide for their safety when there is open warfare on busy motorways? All we can say about Sunday morning is that it was a miracle that nobody was killed. There were three young women in the back, cars coming in the opposite direction and machine gun fire across the vehicle. It is extraordinary.

There is no confidence in the House and none outside it that the Government is in control of this situation or that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform understands the crime wave we are living through. He seems to have convinced himself that he is doing a good job and that the fault lies elsewhere, when in fact a 27 year old can be shot because he allegedly owes €500. That is how cheap human life has become and there is no evidence I can see that there is any preparation to sit on these gangs until they are brought to justice. They are running through this city with impunity and the Minister, meanwhile, is addressing every other subject except the one for which he is politically accountable to this House.

Deputy Rabbitte asked why I gave the Garda figures. He said the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform was responsible to this House for what the Garda did. I was giving him the factual position from information the Garda had given us. I thought that was what he required. I agree with the Deputy that it was a miracle nobody was killed. If it had not been 4.30 a.m., there would have been large volumes of traffic, but even at that time a considerable number of people are on the road. Thankfully nobody else was injured.

In terms of numbers, as I said previously, Deputy Rabbitte continually wants to point out that matters are much worse than they were. We know that is not the position.

With a population of 3.6 million, there were 29 crimes per thousand of the population.

There was never gun crime like that when we were in government.

Now with a population of half a million more people——

The Taoiseach should be allowed to speak without interruption.

This is extraordinary. The Taoiseach should stick his head in the sand.

——there are 24.6 crimes per 1,000. They are the figures.

He has it by the day.

I know Deputy Rabbitte would like to point out, as he did last week——

This has been going on for too long.

——the cumulative figures for the past few years. I looked back at that because it was a good point.

The Taoiseach did not get the Minister, Deputy McDowell, to look at it.

Deputy Rabbitte said it is terrible that there are 100,000 headline crimes. That was the point made here by the Opposition last week. I found that in 1995 there were 100,785 headline crimes and in 1996——

That was before the Government changed the method of reporting crimes.

Zero tolerance.

The Taoiseach should be allowed to speak without interruption. Deputy Hayes is not a member of the Labour Party and we are dealing with a Labour Party question.

I listened carefully to a whole lot of misinformation but as soon as I try to give any information Members try to shout me down.

The Taoiseach is in denial.

I purposely did not raise the figures because I do not think that is the point. There was more crime when Deputy Rabbitte sat at the Cabinet table, when there was a population of half a million less, and there were fewer gardaí.

The Deputy opposed——

The Government changed the definition of headline crime.

Deputy Rabbitte should please allow the Taoiseach to speak.

No, the definition was not changed. Far more crimes are now recorded because the PULSE system is recording them, as Deputy Rabbitte knows. I accept there is too much crime. I am glad Fergus McCabe is going to another job — Deputy Rabbitte is aware of that too. I am glad we are still pumping resources into dealing with the drugs problem.

The Government is not doing so, the Taoiseach is telling lies.

I know Deputy Rabbitte was in a different position then, but I am glad that if he had the chance again he would not oppose the referendum on bail, cancel the prisons programme, be against extra gardaí or vote against our proposals on minimum sentences. They were all wise decisions that he would now make if he were in that position.

Hear, hear.

We will do all we can, with the Garda, with the powers under the latest criminal justice legislation, to deal with this matter to the best of our ability.