(Dublin North-West) asked the Minister for Justice if he is aware that there are groups of people (details supplied) continuously collecting money on the streets of Dublin for some considerable time without any authorisation from the Garda; and if he will indicate if he proposes to take action to eliminate this problem.
Written Answers. - Dublin Street Collections.
15.
The Deputy has indicated that the groups he is referring to are, in particular, itinerants, the Hare Krishna group and car-park attendants. The existence, in our society, of itinerants is a social problem which in my view cannot and should not be treated as one to be met primarily by police action. It is necessary that the Garda Síochána should intervene in certain circumstances but, on the whole, itinerants as a group need social support to improve their lot and I do not propose to suggest to the Garda Síochána that they should take anything in the nature of special or concerted action against them.
I am not aware of any valid ground why the Garda Síochána should take any concerted action against groups such as the Hare Krishna group. If they overstep the limits of the law, the Garda will no doubt intervene but the intervention would be on the basis of some specific breach of the law on a particular occasion and would not be directed at the group in a general way.
The Garda Síochána do not concern themselves with persons who hold themselves out as car-park attendants at particular times on the public street. This is something that has been going on for years in Dublin and the Garda authorities have informed me that they do not think it would be appropriate for the Garda Síochána to take an initiative against them. I suggest that matters of that kind might well be considered by an appropriate committee of the corporation or by some other committee concerned with Dublin traffic.