I refer to the report of the Garda Inspectorate. Before going further, all Members of the House should support An Garda Síochána. It is the thin blue line and its members have served the State well over the decades. The specific area in the Garda Inspectorate report that concerns me relates to domestic violence. This Chamber could do the State some service if it held a specific debate on domestic violence. It was clear from the Garda Inspectorate's report that members of An Garda Síochána dealing with domestic violence did not really understand what they were dealing with, and the short, medium and long-term impacts on the victims were simply not considered. When one considers that 11,000 cases were reported last year and that there were 248 arrests, it means only approximately 2% of the cases led to an arrest. That is really shocking. I raise this issue as a male because it is almost always the male who is the perpetrator of the violence against the female. I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on this issue sooner rather than later. The 11,000 cases reported last year is a shocking figure, but even more shocking was the inaction of the Garda. I speak as somebody who strongly supports the Garda, but the inaction and the lack of understanding of the impact it has on the victim and the other members of the family should not go unchecked.

Ba mhaith liom tacú leis an méid atá ráite ag an Seandóir D'Arcy ar an rún. The Garda Inspectorate's report is a major milestone in Irish policing. It calls on the Minister immediately to establish the criminal justice service group to implement the recommendations of the report. It is a comprehensive and devastating critique of the systems within An Garda Síochána. We all acknowledge that many men and women in An Garda Síochána do very good work in very difficult circumstances, but we can also see from the report that there has been a systemic failure. It also points to issues of particular embarrassment for the Government due to the way the new Garda rosters were implemented, the lack of Garda vehicles and the loss of trained gardaí to administration duties. The spin by the Government in the past few years does not have substance; therefore, we must have a full debate on the report before the Christmas break. I hope it is not kicked to touch; it must take place sooner rather than later. We must also discuss the previous report on the fixed charge processing system, which is also important.

We have called for a debate on domestic violence on many occasions. I believe I have raised the matter at every joint policing committee, JPC, meeting I have attended in Galway. It appears to be the only figure that is increasing each time there is a meeting, but one can see from the report that the figures are probably underestimated, with the capacity of gardaí to deal with the situations they face. As the Leader said previously that he would be open to arranging such a debate, I hope we can have it soon mar is cúis an-mhór imní é. It is a particular concern when one sees organisations such as Domestic Violence Response, DVR, in Connemara having their budgets cut again. As that organisation's helpline will be curtailed as a result of the cutbacks to its funding, it is an important issue.