The murder rate in north Dublin is reaching crisis proportions. This week, another murder took place, the third in a small area and the sixth in north Dublin this year, most of which have occurred in Kilbarrack, Donaghmede and Coolock. In parts of Dublin, the Glock is now the weapon of choice for executions. This city is awash with handguns which can be bought for a couple of hundred euro. The price of a gun now equates to the price of a human life.

The Government has failed to tackle the epidemic of handgun crime in this State. Fine Gael supported the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform in drafting new legislation and has offered to support initiatives on a gun amnesty but there is still no sign of the implementation of such an amnesty. On 8 March, I offered to introduce a stand alone firearms Bill which would provide more serious penalties for gun crimes. That offer was refused and the consequence of the Government's complacency can be seen in the appalling murder and execution rates in north Dublin. Had that legislation been fast-tracked and the amnesty been implemented, gardaí would have been given a stronger legislative basis on which to perform their duty.

Since 1998, 108 people have been killed by guns in this country. Fewer than one fifth of these deaths have resulted in convictions. Last March, the Taoiseach claimed in this House that crime is not out of control. Does he now believe crime is not out of control? Does he think the good people of Kilbarrack, Donaghmede and Coolock believe crime is under control? Does he think the people of Ireland believe that?

Can he outline the specific actions he now proposes to take in response to this wave of handgun crime and a murder rate that is reaching epic proportions? Does it not bring home the truth highlighted in the words of the former Taoiseach, Mr. Haughey, when he said: "this is the worst Government in the history of the State"? The Government has no plan and nothing ever works.

Deputy Kenny knows the fight against crime is an ongoing battle. It has always been that way and it will continue to be so. That does not only hold true for this country but for every western democracy. We have to keep dealing with the small but vicious and ruthless group of criminals who are involved in this. They will resort to any kind of action and the many murders in north Dublin and the greater Dublin area are part of this. We continue to prioritise the fight against criminals and to deal with this issue.

This morning the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform briefed me on his meeting yesterday with Commissioner Conroy and Deputy Commissioner Murphy. He set out how the significant resources of the Garda Síochána are being deployed to tackle gangland crime. He emphasised that the Garda Síochána did not have any resource or legislative problem in its efforts to deploy gardaí and equip them to address the challenges of crime.

Commissioner Conroy also briefed the Minister in considerable detail on the investigations into the 29 murders in 2006, 13 of which involved a firearm. Some 20 of these cases have been solved and files have been sent or are being prepared to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions. With regard to the other nine murders the commissioner updated the Minister on the investigations and briefed him on the issues that arise in these cases. A small number of criminals are prepared to take any action they deem necessary to protect their position, including extreme violence and murder. We continue to give top priority to targeting organised crime.

Regarding gun crime, under Operation Anvil the Garda Síochána has confiscated an enormous number of guns and handguns. Guns can be obtained cheaply in this jurisdiction or others and the latest figures available show that since the introduction of Operation Anvil, some 527 firearms have been seized resulting in 2,830 arrests for serious crimes, 43 arrests in connection with murders in the Dublin metropolitan region and 1,298 individuals being charged to date under Operation Anvil. These figures are impressive. Gardaí cannot be at every house on every corner and in every lane and if serious criminals attempt to take each other out, the Garda Síochána must continue to carry out painstaking investigations into it. Every time a murder is committed, more detectives are assigned to the case and removed from preventative work.

The Minister asked if there were outstanding legislative issues, other than the passing of the Criminal Justice Bill 2004 which everyone is committed to passing in this session. The Garda Síochána has the manpower and it must attempt to break these vicious gangs. It has broken many over the past years. Our work is to support the Garda Síochána in breaking these gangs because they are unlikely to listen to anything else.

One of the principal reasons these people who have no respect for life or limb continue to do as they do is that they believe they will not be caught. The annual rate of murder has increased by 42% since the current Government took office in 1997. Teacher unions have reported that teachers are threatened with handguns. Headline crime detection rates have fallen in each of the past four years. These are serious crimes including murder, rape, aggravated assault, burglary and theft. Some 100,000 such crimes are committed every year on the watch of the absent Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. If he survives until next year he will have presided over 500,000 such crimes. After the tragic murder of the innocent bystander Donna Cleary, he stated that it was a watershed in crime. What resources have been put in place to convince the nation that it was a watershed? What evidence shows that her death brought about a watershed in crime detection, handgun crime and the wave of handgun purchases to execute people, which resulted in the murder of innocent people?

The Minister agreed to set up a special Garda gangland unit last year to tackle the spiralling rate of crime. How many officers serve in it and what resources are available to it? What is the programme for the gangland special unit and what are its results to date, given that only 17% of those who committed crimes have had convictions against them? A crime is not solved until a conviction is brought.

Last week I met the president of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. Three gardaí are attending on McCabe scholarships. They have ample experience in successfully dealing with this kind of gangland crime and murder in cities across the United States. In briefing the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Government, is it not time the Garda authorities ensured such expertise is brought to areas of this city where people are terrified that this type of gangland crime will walk in the door, uninvited, resulting in more murders of innocent people? It is time the Government focused on this issue and dealt with it.

Deputy Kenny knows my view on this — one death is a death too many, one crime is a crime too many. We must not portray crime levels as being at the same level as in New York state. Our numbers are high but have not changed much in recent years. Headline crimes may have approached 500,000 in the past five years but the figures for headline crime were the same some years previously. That is a hopeless argument for us to discuss. In 1996, 1997 and every year since there have been 100,000 such crimes but that is not the issue. The Garda Síochána is better resourced, with better laws and equipment. It deals with 500,000 more people and crime rates have reduced when measured per 1,000 people. The Garda Síochána is dealing with vicious people fighting over their patch for drugs and related issues.

What about the watershed?

The Minister has allocated an additional €11 million to Operation Anvil for a dedicated group of detectives working to break these gangs.

Once again, he has not delivered.

The group has had some success but could do with more success. When some of these individuals have been shot, suffering serious injuries, they still will not speak or assist in any way with the investigation. That makes the task of the Garda Síochána more difficult in securing prosecutions. Some 20 of the 29 murders this year have been solved from the point of view of the Garda Síochána. Once the file is sent to the DPP, the work of the Garda Síochána is done. We must have prosecutions and in the remaining nine cases under investigation, most concern gangland crimes. We are fast approaching a force of 14,000 gardaí with major resources. The addition for overtime will allow gardaí to work on weekends on various missions under dedicated forces.

People have information and those who can help the Garda Síochána to break into a small number of gangs involved in one area in north Dublin should try to assist the Garda processes as outlined.