I call Deputy McGrath, who is to speak on behalf of the Technical Group.

I wish the Ceann Comhairle a happy new year. I hope we will have good interaction while I am in this position.

I look forward to that.

I want to raise an issue of great importance to the public, both rural and urban. I sympathise with all the victims of crime in recent times. We are dealing with gangland crime in the cities and it featured in my town quite recently. In recent weeks, especially, there have been attacks on elderly people and families in rural and urban areas. I do not blame the Tánaiste for the criminals but the crimes are a direct result of the Government's policies. I am delighted the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, is here because his policies, as pursued by the Government over almost two years, are aiding and abetting criminals. The policies have denuded rural areas of Garda stations. I now see that stations in urban areas, such as Stepaside and Whitehall, are being closed. Gardaí do not have squad cars. Only yesterday evening it was reported to me that, on the preceding night, a member of the community alerted gardaí when he saw some strange activity. When the gardaí arrived, they did not have flashlights and were using their telephones. That is a sad state of affairs. On another occasion, a garda from a station outside Tipperary rang me to state there was no light in the bathroom when he wanted to use it and he did not have a light bulb to put in it.

I ask the Minister-----

Will the Deputy put his question to the Tánaiste, please?

I will put it to the Tánaiste.

Thank you.

On a point of order, the light was fixed last week.

I did not hear what the Deputy said.

Will Members allow the Deputy to put his question to the Tánaiste without interruption?

I express sympathy to the victims of all these crimes and wonder if these crimes would have occurred if the victims' savings had been safe in the banks or credit unions. People's money, however, is not safe anywhere with the Tánaiste's policies. I ask the Tánaiste and the Government to consider launching a public information and awareness campaign on security and on the matter, as was done in the past, of keeping cash in their homes because they are afraid to keep it in any of the institutions, the guaranteed ones or otherwise. By doing that they would support Muintir Na Tíre and all the other groups that are helping to fit safety alarms and equipment.

I would like to thank the my friend, Big Phil, the Minister, Deputy Hogan, for doing a U-turn recently on the cut in respect of alarms. I ask for further money to be put into this area because people must be safe in their homes. If they cannot sleep in their beds at night it leads to ill health and to them moving out of their homes and being afraid to return to them.

I ask the Tánaiste and the Minister for Justice and Equality to visit, with gardaí, some of the homes of the people who have been savagely attacked not once but in some cases twice or three times. No place is safe from attack any more, not even church sacristies. I ask the Tánaiste to deal with this issue in a serious manner.

Hear, hear.

Well said.

The issue Deputy Mattie McGrath raised is a very serious one. I share with him, as I am sure do other Members, the widespread outrage at the recent incidence of aggravated burglary and condemn, in the strongest possible terms, those who prey on vulnerable and isolated members of our community. The members of the Garda are determined to do everything they can to bring the perpetrators to justice. I call on anyone who might be able to help them in any way to get in touch with them.

The Minister for Justice and Equality is also acutely conscious of the broader concerns which exist concerning burglary and is in regular contact with the Garda Commissioner on measures to counter it. In particular, last year the Garda Commissioner introduced Operation Fiacla to tackle mobile gangs involved in burglary around the country. Between April and December 2012 3,538 persons have been arrested and 1,924 persons charged as part of that operation. In addition to these enforcement measures, An Garda Síochána works closely with communities through Community Alert, Neighbourhood Watch and other organisations to provide expert crime prevention advice and support to communities.

I am particularly aware of the position in Donegal recently, for example, and in the Border counties. It is important to note that there is excellent co-operation between the Garda Síochána and the PSNI in disrupting and investigating attempts by criminals who try to take advantage of the Border.

While the recent incidents are very disturbing, the latest recorded crime figures, published at the end of the last year, suggest that Garda operations are having an impact - in particular, the quarterly figures on burglary are down from the levels experienced earlier in 2012 prior to the introduction of Operation Fiacla.

I acknowledge Deputy Mattie McGrath's praise for the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government who met Muintir Na Tíre recently. I also want to say that Muintir Na Tíre is doing excellent work and the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Government as a whole will be willing to work with it and other community organisations to provide the best possible advice, particularly to elderly people and to those living in isolated areas.

Deputy Mattie McGrath has a minute to put a supplementary question.

I acknowledge the Tánaiste's praise for Muintir Na Tíre. As a former member of its board, I am aware it has 1,300 Community Alert groups throughout the country.

I have been a member since 1986. I support An Garda Síochána, but it cannot work without the tools of the trade. The Tánaiste referred to Operation Fiacla. The Garda must have gone to the dentist and lost all its teeth because it has no equipment or squad cars. Stations that had up to eight patrol cars are now down to two. There is some silly rule that they must be put off the road once they reach 300,000 km. Surely in these times, if they are MOT-tested and shown to be working perfectly, they can be kept longer than this.

I acknowledge the role of the IFA and other farming organisations, as well as the Community Alert groups and ordinary people, because policing cannot be undertaken without the support of the community. By removing Garda stations and gardaí on the beat who know the people, the Government is creating a significant impediment in policing. Having a Garda squad car flying in several hours after being called out is not the same as having the local garda on the beat. I commend the service given during the years by gardaí, especially those on the beat. If one is to have confidence in the force, its members must be visible at, say, local matches, involved in sports organisations, living and actively engaged in their communities.

Will the Deputy put his question, please?

Morale is seriously low in An Garda Síochána. Will the Tánaiste speak to the Garda Commissioner about this because the real story is not getting to the top echelons or across to the Minister for Justice and Equality?

The Garda Síochána is doing an excellent job. What we need and what the Minister for Justice and Equality is determined we will have is a modern, effective and efficient police service.

Without Garda stations.

The current Garda strength is 13,400. The total number of Garda stations, even after their rationalisation, will stand at 564. This is far more compared to the number in Northern Ireland or Scotland.

There are more police officers per head of population in Scotland.

The rationale behind this is to put gardaí on the beat and where they are needed. They are not needed behind the desk in a police station but out in a patrol car, on the beat, working with the community to prevent and detect crime.

According to figures published by the Central Statistics Office, the level of crime in 12 out of the 14 categories measured was down in 2012 compared to the figure for 2011. Additional moneys will be provided in 2013 for the purchase of Garda vehicles. The emphasis is on equipping the Garda Síochána with the resources it needs to deal with crime. The evidence is that these reforms are succeeding. Of course, any crime against an individual is one crime too many. The Minister for Justice and Equality, the Garda Commissioner and the Garda Síochána are determined to deal with all crimes as effectively as possible and encourage the public and community organisations to work closely with gardaí in fighting crime.