THE Opposition was sharply attacked for its criticism of the Government's record on fighting crime by the chairman of the Fine Gael parliamentary party, Mr Phil Hogan.
"One would have thought that crime began after Fianna Fail left office", said Mr Hogan. In the eight years the party was in office, from 1987 to 1994, not one new prison space was provided. Yet, in 1991, there was a massive 7.7 per cent national increase in crime, but there was no response from the government of the day.
Mr Hogan was speaking during (the resumed debate on the Fianna Fail-PD Private Member's motion calling for a wide range of measures to tackle crime. Defending the Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen, he said that attempts by Fianna Fail to pillory her were nothing short of disgraceful. "One would think that this Minister was personally responsible for the deaths of people like Det Garda (Jerry McCabe and Veronica Guerin," he added.
Mrs Owen said there had not been the incremental consideration of the criminal justice system from year to year, as was required. That was why she was determined when she took office to take the job seriously and endeavour to put in place some changes in the actual structures. "It is a slow, painful, frustrating process, not something that can happen overnight."
She was satisfied that when her term of office in the current Government ended, there would be a recognition that some serious structural changes had been introduced. The Garda Siochana would now be open to scrutiny and it, no more than anybody else, could not be free from some criticism.
Condemning the Government for failing to take on board legislative proposals made by Fianna Fail in the past, the party's spokesman on Justice, Mr John O'Donoghue, claimed it had pure sued a policy of studied inactivity on crime.
He said that less than two weeks ago he had been told by the Minister of State for Justice, Mr Austin Currie, that the Government did not intend establishing a special task force to combat drug trafficking. "How is it that less than a fortnight later this very measure is the cornerstone of Government policy?"
Welcoming the Government's "U turn," on crime, the PD spokeswoman on justice, Ms Liz O'Donnell assured it and the House "that the Opposition will hound this Government to come up with what they have agreed to".
Mr Michael McDowell (PD, Dublin South East) suggested that the Government put out to tender a contract to build a new prison of a substantial size and rent it from private enterprise. "I am deeply suspicious that we will go down the road that we went relating to Wheat field, which cost many millions of pounds over and above what was projected.
Ms Kathleen Lynch (DL, Cork North Central) called for an increased focus on the prison and probation services and on expanding and developing community service options for less serious crimes. There was also a need to examine alternative non custodial sentencing options for crimes such as civil debt and the non payment of fines.
The motion was passed without a division.
