Vol. 500 No. 4
315 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands if her attention has been drawn to the harassment of the public by people on drugs in the vicinity of St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, and of attacks upon members of the park rangers staff; the action, if any, she will take to prevent a recurrence of this harassment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4283/99]
I wish to assure the Deputy that my Department is keenly aware of the need to ensure public safety to maximise the public's enjoyment of St. Stephen's Green. My Department maintains close liaison with the Garda authorities who patrol St. Stephen's Green on a daily basis and respond to any reports by the park constables to breaches of the peace.
While any attack on a member of the public in the vicinity of St. Stephen's Green is a matter appropriate to the Garda authorities, I am not aware of any such occurrence in recent times. The only reported incident of an attack on a park constable occurred more than two years ago.
Training is provided for all staff on safety awareness, including the potential dangers of handling syringes etc.
