asked the Minister for Justice if he will state whether the persons responsible for the attack on a band at Baltinglass and for the damaging of a drum on the night of the 25th April have yet been identified and charged with the offence.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Attacks in Baltinglass and Dublin.
asked the Minister for Justice if he will state whether the persons responsible for interfering with the electric light system in Baltinglass and throwing the town into darkness on the night of the 25th April have yet been identified and charged with the offence.
asked the Minister for Justice if he will state whether the persons responsible for the attack on two girls in O'Connell Street, Dublin, after midday on Sunday, the 29th April, have yet been identified and charged with the offence.
asked the Minister for Justice if he will state whether the persons responsible for the attack on a man in O'Connell Street, Dublin, after midday on Sunday, the 29th April, have yet been identified and charged with the offence.
I propose to take questions Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6 together. I have nothing at present to add to the replies which I gave to the questions asked recently by the same Deputies about these matters.
Is the Minister aware with regard to question No. 4 that a very considerable time has passed since this outrage was committed, and that apparently nobody has been traced in connection with it? Does not the Minister think that failure to follow up a case like that is encouragement to the persons who last night in Athy did the very same thing, by throwing a wire across the electric wires, and throwing the whole town of Athy into darkness for several hours?
Any person caught interfering with public property in the form of electric wires will be brought to justice if it is possible to do so. The Deputy must know that it is very difficult for the police to trace the people who commit these and other outrages. The Deputy knows that very well. He knows that one of the most atrocious crimes committed in this country during his Government's time was never traced.
What crime was that?
The crime from which the Deputy benefitted more than anybody else in the country.
Would the Minister say whether, in regard to that particular crime, the car that carried the criminals was ten days before that in the possession of a person who is now a member of the Front Bench opposite?
Arising out of the questions standing in my name can the Minister facilitate me in so far as to give me some idea when I might put down the questions again with a view to getting a satisfactory answer? This is considered a very important matter in the district, and I should like some statement from the Minister as to when I might put down the questions again.
I suggest to the Deputy that he might very well leave this matter in the hands of the Minister for Justice and the Civic Guards.
For how many months?
For whatever length of time it takes them to carry out their job successfully. It may be that they will be unable to trace the persons responsible for this particular outrage.
Is the Minister not aware, with regard to the damaging of the drum in Baltinglass and the attack on a band there on the 25th April, that the attack took place in the presence of members of the Gárda Síochána?
It might very well be that the members of the Gárda Síochána were unable to identify the people who were responsible.
Might I ask the Minister is it a fact that the man who did the damage to the drum is known?
In connection with two of those questions Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6, the people who were hurt will not help the Civic Guards to trace the people responsible.