Deputy Broughan was in possession. He has ten minutes remaining and I understand Deputy Rabbitte is sharing his time.
Private Members' Business. - Street Crime: Motion (Resumed).
The following motion was moved by Deputy Shatter on Wednesday, 17 April 2002:
That Dáil Éireann:
conscious of the fear prevailing in the country following the most recent increase in violent deaths, and aware of the need to restore a sense of security on our streets,
noting that six people died violently in the past week alone, including two members of the Garda Síochána in the course of their duty,
noting that there has been an increase of 131% in assaults causing harm in the year 2000, and
aware that the Government's refusal to accept the reality of the astounding increase in street violence has allowed a situation to develop whereby only one in four assaults are reported to the gardaí,
condemns this Government for allowing zero tolerance to become zero action in relation to street violence.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
welcomes the substantial decrease in serious crime since the Government took office and the "zero tolerance" measures taken by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform in achieving this remarkable result;
commends the enormous level of resources allocated to the Garda Síochána, including the increase of €319.7 million, IR£252 million – 53% – in the Garda Síochána Vote, from €599.3 million, IR£472 million, in 1997 to €919 million, IR£723.7 million, in the current year;
notes that the strength of the Garda Síochána now exceeds 11,700 – an all-time historic high – which constitutes an increase of approximately 900 members since the Government took office, and is on target to reach the planned strength of 12,000 this year;
recognises the provision of significant additional resources for other sectors of the criminal justice system, including increasing the number of prison places by 1,207 to date, with approximately 700 additional closed places on the way;
commends the success of the Government in ending the scandal of the "revolving door" in our prisons system;
commends the Minister's legislative record since taking office in enacting an unprecedented 46 Bills and, particularly, his reform of the criminal law;
acknowledges the significant structural reforms being made to the criminal justice system through, for example, the appointment of additional judges, the establishment of the Courts Service and the Prisons Service and the significant progress being made in reforming the administration of the Garda Síochána;
commends the allocation of additional resources aimed at the expansion of the probation and welfare service;
endorses the measures adopted on the basis of the additional funding in the sum of €110.5 million, IR£87 million, allocated under the National Development Plan, 2000-2006, for crime prevention directed towards young offenders;
notes the social crime prevention activities supported by the Government as an important intervention in the lives of "at risk" young persons, not least the significant numerical expansion in Garda youth diversion projects, from 12 in 1997 to 64 at present;
welcomes the measures taken at community level to deal with local crime problems, including the massive expansion of the Garda CCTV programme, for which €15 million has been allocated over the period 2001-03;
commends the Garda Síochána's national public order initiative, Operation Oíche, for its many successes in tackling public order issues since October 2000 and, in particular, its focus on "hot spots" of criminal activity and high visibility patrolling;
welcomes the commencement of the Garda Síochána's Operation Encounter on 23 February 2002, which builds upon Operation Oíche by using acquired information about the times and locations of previous public order incidents to address the problem at source, such as in the vicinity of night clubs, licensed premises and fast food outlets;
endorses the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Bill, 2002, introduced by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform as a further proactive response to tackling the problem of late night violence and disruption, in so far as it has its origins outside licensed premises or fast food outlets;
notes that, according to the national household crime victimisation survey conducted by the Central Statistics Office in 1998, almost two thirds of assaults were reported to the Garda Síochána and that the principal reason cited for not reporting was that the incident was "not serious enough-no loss";
welcomes the measures taken by the Garda Síochána to facilitate the reporting of crime, particularly among members of ethnic minorities, through its quality customer service initiative and the establishment of a Garda racial and intercultural office;
acknowledges the improvements in recent years in the service to victims of crime, including the publication of a victims charter and the provision of additional funding for service providers;
notes the important steps taken in relation to dealing effectively with crime and crime related issues, including the fear of crime, through the establishment of the State's first ever national crime council;
welcomes the high level of support among the community for the Garda Síochána; and
approves the Government's continuing commitment to prioritise structural and legislative measures to build upon the significant advances made in the fight against crime and, in particular, to tackle effectively the problem of street violence.
–(Minister for Justice, Equality and
Law Reform).
Sometimes an event happens that is so outrageous it exposes the fact that the Emperor has no clothes. The killing of two gardaí, a young man murdered and several hospitalised in the one weekend demonstrates the extent of lawlessness on our streets. The tragic killing of two courageous gardaí lifts it above what would otherwise have been no more than a typical weekend in urban Ireland, yet all we got from the Minster for Justice, Equality and Law Reform last night was a hypocritical rant more suited to the back of an election lorry in Cahirciveen.
The reality in so many housing estates is worse, not only because there are regular, unlawful killings but because the violence and intimidation is relentless and persistent. The breakdown of public order has become a major issue for Dáil Éireann and the media only because it has spread into middle class areas. The disgraceful conduct of visiting nomadic traders at the River Dodder became a major issue for the same reason. Nobody photographed the unfortunate residents of Rossfield in west Tallaght when they were besieged in their homes in the same circumstances for months.
The truth is that working class estates throughout west Dublin – the area I know best – are tortured by anti-social activity, thuggish intimidation and so-called joy-riding. A half dozen youths out of control in an estate can wreak havoc. I recently attended yet another meeting in my constituency with a Garda inspector who insisted that the situation was being exaggerated by local community representatives, myself and other public representatives. As we emerged from the meeting a car parked next to the Garda car had been set alight and burnt out. That is not untypical. The figures are available for the number of burnt out cars collected by the local authority in my constituency and across west Dublin.
Along with other public representatives, I regularly attend meetings in my constituency to discuss crime, including break-ins, cars stolen or vandalised or being driven around estates at all hours of the night. On 26 February I wrote a letter to the local Garda superintendent. It states:
At a specially convened public meeting [I named the place] on 21 February, public representatives listened to a litany of despairing complaints from law abiding citizens who are being subject to, in the words of one man, "a reign of terror by young thugs". The extent of car thefts, joy-riding, vandalism, break-ins and intimidation is outrageous. An estimated ten cars are damaged in this estate for every one stolen. Between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. the people are subjected to regular so-called joy-riding. One woman reported that her car had been vandalised seven times since November. One home owner instanced his own experience where three young gangsters threatened him with an iron bar if he did not go back into his home while they were preparing to steal his car. He rang the gardaí on Friday, 8 February to alert them and was told someone would call to him by 10 p.m. He has not heard from the gardaí since.
That is not untypical. The gardaí seem unable to cope. It is understandable in a situation where, for an area with a population of 80,000 people there are 159 gardaí who are organised on three shifts working on five over seven days. One does not need to be a mathematical genius to work out how many gardaí are on duty at any one time.
One Garda station in the whole of Tallaght serves 80,000 people. Until 1997, when the then Minister for Justice and the then Commissioner accorded divisional status to Tallaght, it was a subdivision of Crumlin Garda station. Divisional status was supposed to bring more manpower, vehicles and resources to the policing of the greater Tallaght region. Five years later that decision has not been implemented. Recently in this House the explanation of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, who indisput ably does not understand urban Ireland, was that the accommodation was not available in the one Garda station to implement divisional status. All that has been done has been the appointment of a chief superintendent, who must be resident outside the district because there is no office for him in Tallaght. That situation is unconscionable.
It is intolerable that law abiding citizens who are paying their taxes far more compliantly than some of the better off in our society cannot get a garda when they want one, their telephone call answered or protection in their homes. A man of six feet and three inches in height, mentioned in the letter to which I have referred, attended the meeting to which I also referred to outline what happened when he found three young fellows trying to break into his car. They threatened him with an iron bar if he did not return inside his home and when he telephoned the gardaí they did not appear. That situation cannot be allowed to continue.
There is no visible presence of gardaí in whole tracts of west Dublin and there are no community gardaí on the beat. When there is an emergency, be it foot and mouth disease or whatever, those involved in community policing appear to be the first to be removed from the beat. Occasional Garda cars skirt through the estate, which are no deterrent to the young fellows who are creating mayhem.
There is no appreciation of this among the conscientious officials in the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Like Members of this House and members of the media, those officials do not live in these estates and genuinely do not appreciate what is being endured. I know a man, whose name I will supply to the Minister, who owns a corner shop. It looks like a bunker in Beirut during the siege. The shop also contains a post office and is broken into about twice a week. It is well known in the area. The man is besieged by about a dozen intimidating youths who hang around outside the shop all the time. There is no policing.
It is not fair to expect law abiding citizens to put up with that. Look at the current situation. The bus service to west Tallaght is again under threat because the bus workers are being subjected to youths throwing stones and missiles at them. When they board the buses, the youths wreck the bus, push out the windows and so forth. The bus drivers, not surprisingly, are instructed by their unions not to supply service to certain areas because they are at risk. Serious injury has been inflicted on some bus drivers. The youths concerned are a tiny minority of the population. The law abiding citizens in those estates still have to get up in the morning, travel to work and travel home in the evenings but they are deprived of a transport service. They have to walk miles to get access to public transport.
What is our duty? Is it to the young thugs who are running wild in these estates or is it to the law abiding, tax paying citizens who cannot get to or from their place of work because of this problem? The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform does not understand. This does not happen in Cahirciveen. I am glad of that but I am damned if I can understand why it should be allowed to happen in parts of my constituency. Since the Minister has not encountered this in his life experience, he does not intend to do anything about it. The situation is intolerable and it is unfortunate that it takes the death of two courageous gardaí to bring it to the floor of the House in this fashion.
The two gardaí were killed by two young gangsters in appalling circumstances. It could have been any other citizens who were killed. It is a miracle there are not many more such incidents. The situation is no longer restricted to local authority estates and working class areas. I was in Templeogue last week at the request of a number of householders whose cars and houses are regularly subjected to casual wanton vandalism by youths on their way to the adjacent park where they congregate for the purpose of anti-social activity. Law and order has broken down. What is the Minister's response?
I join other Members in offering my condolences to the families of the two gardaí who were so tragically killed. It was a huge shock to everybody and an enormous waste of human life for two men, who were simply doing their duty to all of us, to be killed so tragically.
As Minister of State with special responsibility for the national drugs strategy and local development, I can state with some confidence that through initiatives such as the national drugs strategy, the RAPID programme and the young people's facilities and services fund, the Government is addressing the primary causes of crime, namely, poverty, social deprivation and drug misuse. We have long recognised that there are no quick fix solutions to such deep-seated problems. In our policies in this area we need to look beyond short-term goals, target those areas of greatest need and engage with local communities in a meaningful way. For this reason, the policies which we have initiated in the area of drugs and social exclusion are long-term strategies which target resources at the most deprived areas and place local communities at the heart of the decision-making process in relation to their areas.
I understand the Minister of State is sharing time with Deputies Noel Ahern, Brian Lenihan and Pat Carey. Is that agreed? Agreed.
I apologise for not mentioning that earlier. Last year, we launched a new national drugs strategy for 2001-08, following the largest consultation process ever undertaken on the drug problem. The strategy brings together for the first time all elements of drugs policy in Ireland into a single framework. Responsibilities are clearly assigned across Departments and agencies. They will implement a series of 100 individual actions across the four pillars of supply reduction, prevention, treatment and research.
Under the supply reduction pillar, there is a number of actions which will directly impact on street crime. Garda resources in local drugs task force areas will be increased substantially. Through the strategy, we aim to increase drug seizures by 25% by 2004 and 50% by 2008. The assets of middle ranking criminals will be targeted by the Criminal Assets Bureau. Operations similar to Dóchas, Nightcap and Cleanstreet, which have proven very successful, will be implemented in urban centres throughout the country where drug dealing is taking place. Cutting off the supply is essential but it is only one part of the strategy.
The prevention pillar will see a major awareness campaign being launched later this year, with substance misuse prevention programmes being taught in all secondary schools. Under the treatment pillar, immediate access to professional assessment and counselling will be put in place, while commencement of treatment not later than one month after assessment will be available. In this context, a range of rehabilitation and treatment programmes will be put in place in each health board area, designed to reintegrate the misuser back into society, as well as a series of training and employment programmes. In some treatment centres at present, over 40% of the people in treatment are back to work. The strategy also identifies the critical need to target teenage misusers and, accordingly, a special protocol is being developed to allow under 18 year olds to be treated for serious drug problems. This is a radical step forward and will help us more easily to make the interventions needed at this critical time.
A key element in the new strategy is the establishment of regional drugs task forces which will bring together all the key agencies and the local community on an area basis to develop and implement drug action plans in every region in Ireland. These task forces build on the experience of the local drugs task forces which have proven very effective in the areas worst affected by drugs misuse. Crucially, they will ensure that the regional response will be relevant and co-ordinated to maximise the impact of the resources committed to it.
Recognising the importance of the task forces to the national drugs strategy, I have secured an unprecedented level of resources to ensure that action plans developed locally to tackle the drug problem are implemented effectively on the ground. As a direct result of this investment, over 300 drug related projects are now up and running in these areas. Funding of €1.8 million for 33 projects in the local drugs task force areas has recently been secured, which brings the total funding approved for the second round of task force plans to €13.5 million. This is on top of a commitment of almost €13 million over three years to develop premises for drug projects in task force areas and a further €11 million annually towards the cost of mainstreaming over 120 projects under the first round of task force plans. I was delighted to open the STAR project in Ballyfermot a few days ago, another example of such projects.
With a funding injection of this kind into the most needy areas, there can be no question about the Government's commitment to making this strategy work. We are only beginning to see the positive impact of the strategy. A clear indicator of its success will ultimately be a significant fall in drug related crime. Already, we are hearing anecdotal evidence that this is happening and I am confident that this trend will be borne out over time. However, we are aware of the examples cited by Deputy Rabbitte. There are problems in certain working class estates which cause great fear among the local communities. It would be foolish to ignore that but I believe we are making inroads. There is no quick fix solution. Obviously the issue will have to be tackled in the short-term but there must also be a long-term strategy.
I take this opportunity to acknowledge the enormous contribution of the Garda Síochána in the development and implementation of the national drugs strategy. From the start, the gardaí have committed themselves to the work of the task forces and, at national level, they continue to make an invaluable contribution to policy development.
In relation to treatment measures, I wish to highlight the significant strides that have been made over the lifetime of the Government. When we got into Government there were 1,400 people in treatment, there are now nearly 6,000. We have also opened up the whole idea of alternative treatments to methadone. We are looking at residential treatment such as the Keltoi Drug Free Centre which we opened recently and we will be opening Coolamber in County Longford shortly.
In the context of this debate, I want to pay particular attention to the measures that have been introduced to target young people at risk of drug misuse. The risk factors associated with drug misuse are often those associated with crime and for this reason, the type of initiatives which we are pursuing in the drug prevention area will also impact in terms of diverting young people away from crime.
Under the young people's facilities and services fund the Government has committed €130 million over the lifetime of the national development plan. We have already spent over €60 million to develop 340 different projects around the city of Dublin and other parts of the country. The target group for this fund are young people aged between ten and 21 years of age. The fund is supporting the development of 50 youth facilities, 20 sports clubs and nearly 20 community centres in areas that have traditionally suffered from a lack of decent youth facilities. We also need to reach out and engage with young people most at risk and with this in mind, over 90 youth and outreach workers have been appointed to work with young people in the areas concerned.
During the lifetime of this Government grants totalling €211 million have been allocated to 2,894 clubs and community groups throughout the country under the sports capital programme. When one compares this to the €25 million allocated by the rainbow Government to local sports projects during their period in office, my colleague, the Minister, Deputy McDaid, has done an enormous amount of work in developing sport throughout the country and deserves our thanks and congratulations.
We have also set up the National Advisory Committee on Drugs which is looking into the problem of drugs so as to keep the Government and everyone up to date on what is happening.
We have also launched the RAPID programme, where we have identified the 25 most deprived areas in the country. Some 165,000 people are living within those areas where we will fast track the national development plan across all statutory services, including education, housing, health, public transport and infrastructure.
These initiatives are clear evidence of the type of long-term commitment this Government has shown in addressing some of the root causes of crime, poverty, urban deprivation and drug misuse. For the first time ever we are beginning to make vital inroads in the areas of greatest neglect. I am confident that these initiatives will make a real difference to the lives of ordinary people in these areas and contribute in no small way to reducing crime levels and street violence.
I fully support the Government's amendment to the motion. Crime has always been a problem. It did not arise today or yesterday. To be fair to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy O'Donoghue, back in 1997 he outlined his promises regarding what he would do to try and curb crime and those promises have been fulfilled. The situation did not get bad overnight and it will not be put right overnight. The Minister outlined that he was committed to providing extra gardaí and extra prison places and with the number of gardaí at nearly 12,000 and the 1,200 extra prison places, enormous progress has been made in the past five years.
Yes, there are problems to be solved. If one looks back at the efforts of this and other Governments over the past 25 years, the emphasis has always changed. For many years the emphasis was on paramilitary crime and paramilitary activities. That problem had to be tackled and solved. It took a great deal of the time and energy of the Garda and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Then the emphasis moved to organised crime and in the past couple of years we have realised that public order offences and street violence must be tackled. My party has the will to tackle that problem in the future.
I can identify strongly with much of what Deputy Rabbitte said. No doubt having a general election is marvellous in many ways. That speech was based on reality. General elections get us all, whether one is talking about Ministers in their ivory towers or Opposition members in RTE studios, out and in tune with reality, which is not very nice in many cases.
I identify totally with and support everything Deputy Rabbitte said and I accept that is the reality, but where was that understanding of the reality when his own party worked on the proposals on its little pledge card? This little pledge card is full of politically correct woolly stuff. Deputy Rabbitte may say that what he spoke about was not in the life experiences of the Minister in Cahirciveen. I think it is not in the life experiences of his own party leader in Sandymount either. I totally agree with what he says. We all should be saying that much more often in here and setting out the reality for the Minister, whoever it is at the time.
The Minister has done a great deal. There are many extra gardaí but they are not being put in the right places. I totally concur with the point about the vast suburbs around the city. They have been neglected for many years. When they were created, people were unemployed and we put them out there. We are now suffering from the years of neglect of those people. What the hell did we expect when we put people out into green fields 20 or 25 years ago? It was different Governments that did it and I am sure resources were scarce at the time, but the problem may well get worse in some respects before it gets better. Even when the Minister produces all these extra gardaí, it baffles me that every time the Commissioner sits down with his chief superintendents to allocate where they will go, it seems that, although there are handy areas in every society, every chief superintendent gets his share based on historical numbers. The extra numbers are not being put where they are required. There are parts of two divisions in my constituency and in the past five years one division got about 35 extra gardaí and the other got about 70 or 80, but they could do with three, four or five times that number because they are needed.
In addition the extra gardaí provided are all from the lower ranks. They are no sooner in place but they are promoted to the higher task forces because that is where the establishment is and where there are opportunities for promotion. It is reasonable for every garda to move on but we need to readjust and realise where the problem is, and this is now happening. Over the past couple of years, as the Minister of State, Deputy Ryan, has outlined, enormous sums of money are being spent on fantastic projects.
However, it will be a slow process because we are dealing with people, many of whom have been "no hopers" from the night they were conceived. They are from one parent families and dysfunctional families. One often hears people talking about identifying problem kids when they are six or seven. One can identify them from the night they are conceived. What the hell do we expect if we put people in such situations? We must tackle the problem. We must go back to base and look at the way society has developed and the way families are structured. We must look at what support we are giving at an early stage. Some will obviously slip through the net but we can do a great deal of good.
The problem is also linked to the availability of money. The economy is going well and everybody has more money. Many people know how to handle it, deal with it and enjoy it, but there is a certain sector who cannot cope with that. They do not have the experience of dealing with it and therefore they just blow too much of it on drink. The carry on related to drinking inside pubs, outside the back wall of community centres and elsewhere shows that people just do not seem to have family discipline or discipline at any level. It is easy to criticise anybody who ever—
Your five minutes is concluded.
We have broken down much of the discipline that was there previously which was exercised by parents, the Church, schools and gardaí. We must try to form a new respect for law and order in some of these communities. A good start has been made but we need to keep at it. We need to keep emphasising the problem, as Deputy Rabbitte says, and not forget about it when we get into our party rooms.
First I want to join with other speakers in paying tribute to Garda Tighe and Garda Padden who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the guardians of the peace. It does not take their deaths to remind us of the severe problems which still exist in regard to criminality, especially in the suburbs of Dublin, but the Minister has outlined a very creditable record in his stewardship of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
We have provided a very big increase in the allocation in the annual Estimates to the Garda Síochána. The strength of the Garda, at 11,700, is at an all time high. The scandal of the premature release of dangerous men and women has been ended and there are a record number of prison places as a result. We have also introduced a very substantial amount of legislation reforming and revising the criminal code. Despite all these very fine initiatives, problems remain. In suburban Dublin, one can witness the vandalism, deliberate destruction and criminal damage which create a built environment that holds up the mirror to the criminality that exists. We have multiple car damage, car thefts, break-ins and wanton violence at late hours involving young men and women. This has become a real problem. A cloud of intimidation hovers over certain districts.
I agree with the trend of what Deputies Noel Ahern and Rabbitte have said. Deputy Rabbitte said earlier that he did not believe a multiplication of gardaí, courts, jailers and prison places and a further multiplication of numbers would resolve all these problems. If there are dangerous men and women, no number of gardaí will restrain them. The Minister of State referred to tackling the social problems, but one of the creditable things this Administration has done is that it has tackled one of the biggest social problems that existed – unemployment. Anyone who visits not just local authority estates, but any estate in suburban Dublin, will see that the work incentive has been restored. That has happened because of a combination of tax reform and increased employment opportunities.
We require a revision of social attitudes, specifically in respect of drink and intoxication, if we are to make progress with regard to the sad problem we are discussing. We cannot blame everything on social problems any more. There is a severe and persistent problem of wanton drunkenness. Putting out glossy brochures or suggesting that the teachers can educate children to be better will not resolve the problem. We have to raise the stakes for people who engage in this kind of conduct, and this has not been done.
The accident and emergency units of our health service are constantly under pressure from a vast horde of people who are intoxicated either with drugs or alcohol at the weekends. This has put a huge strain on the health service. I accept that the problem of violence on the streets does not happen in all parts of the city, but it certainly happens in any parts where there are outlets for the sale of drink. We do not have any deterrent for people who are abusive when they are drunk because the gardaí are so busy dealing with the really hard cases that the routine cases – who should be arrested and sent to the cells for a night to realise the wrong in what they are doing, as an earlier generation was treated – are not dealt with. That deterrent does not exist any more because the gardaí are under such incredible pressure in these circumstances.
I understand on the eve of the general election why the Opposition tabled this motion, but I welcome it because it allows us put forward our own perspectives on this difficult issue. We have to revise our social attitudes in relation to abusing our own bodies with alcohol and drugs if we are to make progress. Simply calling for further gardaí and prison places will not address the problem.
The case was well made by Deputy Noel Ahern a few moments ago that there is a need to have a long, hard look at the deployment of the gardaí. It is difficult, in any branch of the public service, to raise issues about deployment, but we need a greater deployment of gardaí at the hotspots. There is no question about that and speakers on all sides of the House would agree.
The Minister of State has a creditable record, which he outlined in the course of this debate. He has initiated many good changes in the Department but, clearly, much remains to be done. I am happy to support the amendment as a result.
I too support the amendment and extend my sympathies to the families of the two gardaí who lost their lives so tragically at the weekend. It happened, oddly enough, on roughly the second anniversary of a similar incident where two gardaí died in my own constituency. We are aware of the trauma that such tragedy brings to colleagues of gardaí, their immediate family and the whole community.
People are angry and are right to be so, but it is also time for a calm and cool assessment of our current position. Long before I became involved in politics we had a similar problem with joyriders in the 1970s – let us call them boy racers, which is the new name for them in my part of the country. Some of the characters who are now the most high-profile criminals and who are serving long jail sentences for drugs offences were the prime movers in that body of young criminals at the time. The Government response was twofold. It appointed, for the first time, some professional youth workers. Also, it built Trinity House in Lusk. The problem about building Trinity House in Lusk was probably that it was a half-finished project. Unfortunately, it is only today that the remainder of that project is being progressed and accelerated.
There is no doubt that extra gardaí have been appointed – 2,000 additional gardaí represent a very creditable performance on the part of the Minister. I know Fianna Fáil is committed to appointing more gardaí when it returns to power. However, one could put a garda at every street corner and crossroads and it would not solve the problems unless there was consent on the part of the community. The two most peaceful communities in the world ought to be Northern Ireland and South Africa if numbers of police had a bearing on the matter.
Measures such as Operation Encounter in Dublin have made a real difference. My problem with Operation Oíche, Operation Cleanstreet and Operation Encounter is that an operation, by definition, starts and finishes. There has to be strong, firm and consistent policing. The laws exist – there is no shortage of them. The Public Order Act is in place. I pay tribute to the gardaí in my constituency who have been enforcing that Act very vigorously and it has made a difference, but it has made a difference only because they are working hard to do so. For example, on the night before last there were eight checkpoints in my constituency targeting the motorbikes which were being driven around at breakneck speed causing danger to motorcycle riders and the public. That problem will be tackled, but there will be another problem.
Constant co-operation and vigilance is required on the part of the Garda. It has certainly worked in Dublin North-West, where we have a habit of meeting the senior gardaí on a monthly basis to discuss relevant issues. We are able to bring to their attention issues which we pick up on the streets and the area has benefited because of this. I welcome the sanction by the Minister to have a CCTV scheme for the Finglas area. The Minister of State, Deputy Hanafin, allocated £250,000 to the village project in Finglas in December, which is an alternative to custodial sentences run by the probation and welfare service.
As the Minster of State, Deputy Ryan, said, we need to look at a wide range of alternatives. Expenditure on the youth facility in Ballymun and expenditure of €20 million on a leisure centre for the Finglas area should have been provided years ago. However, at least we are now receiving the allocations and construction has started on the projects. I pay tribute to Deputy Eoin Ryan and his Department for the initiatives they have brought forward. We need to continue in this regard.
If there was one pledge I would like all parties to make in this House, it would be to continue with this type of intervention. We cannot and should not lock up everybody. A correct signal has been given by the Minister last night in designating a prison as a suitable detention place for out-of-control youngsters. A small enough number of such people exists.
I hope that in the next few weeks the remaining part of the Children Act, particularly the juvenile justice aspects, will be enacted. I have long held the view that we need to use legislation proactively. I see no reason why curfews could not be enforced. They are part of the juvenile justice aspect of the Children Act. It is important to put responsibility on parents for the misdemeanours of their children and to provide case conferences for what might be described as dysfunctional families – I do not like using that term but there are families who need support and they are not always single-parent families. Some families need constant support so the juvenile justice aspect of the Children Act needs to be put in place.
On the licensing laws, I agree with Deputy Brian Lenihan about the gross abuse of alcohol and I find it impossible to understand that in the Dublin area, to the best of my knowledge, not one prosecution has been brought against a liquor licence holder for serving alcohol to underage youngsters. The public order Bill ought to be enacted by the next Government as quickly as possible because pubs and take-away shops make no attempt to control the congregation of unruly elements outside their premises, which often occurs in the early hours of the morning after the pubs close. Some pubs in my constituency dish people out onto the streets at 3.30 in the morning. That should not be allowed and the Garda will have to crack down on it. The law exists to do that.
I support the amendment but we need to take a multifaceted approach. Simply locking these people up and throwing away the key will not solve the problem. We need to bring forward a range of enlightened measures that will work.
I wish to share my time with Deputies Brian Hayes, Durkan, Gormley, Healy and Ó Caoláin.
Go maith.
When the Minister, Deputy O'Donoghue, was Opposition spokesperson on justice from 1995 to 1997, he was scathing and unrelenting in his criticism of the then Minister, Deputy Owen. When he was not condemning her and making personal attacks on her, he was making rash and exaggerated promises about what he would do if he became Minister. He has completed almost five years in office and it is now time to pass judgment on his term in office. That judgment, like his judgment of the former Minister, Deputy Owen, has to be harsh and damning.
In opposition, the Minister, Deputy O'Donoghue, spoke of zero tolerance, a buzzword imported from the United States. He also spoke about jamming the revolving door and preventing serious offenders from returning to the streets to offend again. Those promises must be embarrassing for the Government in the last week of this Dáil. Last weekend's tragic events in Stillorgan highlight the failure of the Government.
Let us now examine the record of the Minister. The overall detection rate of crime for 2000 was 42%. In 1996, the crime detection rate was 41%, only a 1% increase for the zero tolerance Minister. Only one in four crimes committed are reported to the Garda. Almost half of all businesses were victims of crime in the past 12 months and in all there has been a 19% increase in crimes against business since the Government came to power in 1997. Businesses are losing approximately £775 million, or almost €1 billion, per year as a result of crime and in 2000 there was a 131% increase in violent assaults causing bodily harm.
The Minister's most significant legislative measure was to extend the licensing hours, which has contributed so much to the mayhem on our streets and the current public order problem. He extended the hours without providing the necessary numbers of gardaí to police the streets when drunken young people spill onto them at 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. That has resulted in the violent attacks throughout the country which we are debating today.
I want to refer briefly to my constituency. I carried out a crime survey in Tralee based on the period from March 2000 to September 2001. Over 400 people responded to the survey but the Minister described it, in the prosaic language we are accustomed to hearing from him in this House, as balderdash. I am currently canvassing Tralee and I am aware that the people were not very happy with the Minister's reaction to my survey because they were the ones who responded to it. It was not a fictitious survey. A total of 400 people responded to it.
In the survey, 86% of the 400 people who responded said they did not feel safe walking Tralee town centre at night. There were six attacks on gardaí in Tralee in the Minister's constituency in November of last year, including one serious attack on a female garda. Some 90% of those who responded said the Government was not doing enough to prevent street crime and 98% said they wanted to see more gardaí on the beat.
The Minister might claim responsibility in this House for increasing the number of gardaí throughout the country but the numbers of gardaí in Tralee have increased by approximately six since 1997 in a town that will have grown by approximately 7,000 or 8,000 people in the meantime. There is a huge influx of people into Tralee from across the country over the weekend, yet the six gardaí on the beat in the town cannot deal with the number of young people spilling out of the pubs at night.
I also carried out a survey of Tralee businesses to which there was a very good response. Almost 50 businesses responded. In the period from January 2001 to March 2002, 64% of businesses were vandalised and 62% were burgled. A total of 72% of businesses reported a crime to the Garda Síochána, with 8% of the goods being retrieved. There were 16 convictions but those figures are a reflection of the current level of crime directed at business. The editorial in yesterday's Evening Herald was excellent. It concluded:
John O'Donoghue has had five years to put meat and bones on his cocky rhetoric. He has not done it. After this summer's election, let us hope that somebody else is given the task of making our towns and cities safe.
I look forward to the day when Deputy Shatter will be Minister for Justice.
What about the Deputy?
Deputy Shatter is a very capable Opposition spokesperson on justice. I want to see Fine Gael take over the crime problem. In the past, Fine Gael has been synonymous with justice and law and order. It was always known as the law and order party, and that is still the case. We need a firm but fair system of justice, otherwise the thugs who dominate our streets will take over. That is what is happening now. The gardaí need to be properly resourced in terms of manpower and equipment, but that is not happening.
I would like to be able to acknowledge the contribution a Kerryman has made to tackling the problem of crime but, unfortunately, I am not in a position to do that.
Like other speakers, I would like to extend my condolences to the families of the two gardaí who were so tragically killed on Sunday night. It is unfortunate and sad that we should be discussing this issue against such a backdrop but like many occurrences in this House over the years, we appear to be galvanised only when events like this are presented to us in such a stark fashion. Whether the Minister likes it or not and whether it is palatable to his constituents in County Kerry is immaterial – the zero tolerance policy which he espoused so colourfully five years ago has failed and it now lies in tatters around him. He should be ashamed of himself for coming in here at this time attempting to make excuses for the lack of law and order.
Many of us have repeatedly brought to the attention of the House the incidence of young people coming before judges with a string of indictable offences. Every time we raise a question in the House about it, we are told procedures are in place, that the Minister is doing something about it, that there are three Ministers with different responsibilities in the area or that the matter will be resolved in due course. For the past ten years I have been hearing about how these issues were to be resolved, yet they are still around. It would be sad were it not for the fact that in the past five years there has been more revenue available to the Departments responsible than ever in the history of the State. What have the Ministers done? They have made excuses. In the past 24 hours the Taoiseach has said crime has changed. Crime has changed because it has been allowed to change, because it has not been tackled, because Ministers will not face up to their responsibilities and accept what is in front of their eyes. Only since the tragic events of recent days have they sat up and taken notice.
What has been done in recent months? The crime figures have been massaged. We have new names for old crimes, such as "headline offences", so that when statistics are produced one does not see the true picture. This is an absolute disgrace about which I have complained many times in the past. The crime figures are increasing rapidly. The Minister will reply that we now have more gardaí. So we have, but the population is almost double what it was in the 1950s so the situation is dramatically different. There are so many problems being faced by young people that are not being addressed. CCTV is supposed to be the answer to everything but it is not policing. There is a need for more gardaí on the street and their provision is a matter for the Ministers responsible. There is no use saying there are more gardaí than there were five or ten years ago because the need for them has been quadrupled since then. The sooner the relevant Ministers recognise that, the better for themselves and for the community at large.
What does the Deputy think of CCTV?
All that CCTV does is tell one what happened after the event.
The Deputy does not understand it.
It is not policing and it should not be put forward as a panacea for crime. It only helps after the event, and there is far too much reliance on it. Eventually, police worldwide will recognise that CCTV is an inadequate substitute for poor policing. The number of gardaí the Minister has provided is totally inadequate, as he is well aware.
Abuse of drink and drugs has got completely out of hand and I do not know whether there is any intention to do anything about it. However, the social services back-up required for families at risk in various areas is also lacking. There are no services and inadequate numbers of social workers. They have not been recruited and there are no plans to recruit them. There are major gaps in the social services whose effects show up later on in the crime figures. All that has been done by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and by other Ministers is to massage the crime figures to make them incomprehensible so that the general public cannot recognise their seriousness.
Acting Chairman
The Deputy is borrowing time.
I know I am, but one can never tell – it could be the last time. The point is that unless there is a general recognition of the need to do something about the situation in the near future, matters will only get worse.
I pay tribute to the two gardaí who tragically lost their lives while performing their duty – Garda Tony Tighe and Garda Michael Padden. Many of my constituents have contacted me to say that they knew Garda Tighe and they could not say a bad word about the man. He had a very good reputation in the area and was always very friendly to people. I sympathise with the families of both men. It is a terrible time for them.
Many of the previous speakers have referred to the rise in crime, which has certainly occurred. However, we should go back to root causes, as Deputy Ahern said, and focus particularly on the rise in lawlessness, which is a slightly different problem. We see this every day – it is a symptom of what is wrong with our society. With more money but less time we rush around, breaking red lights, having no time to talk to one another. This sort of stress engenders the lawlessness we see around us. We need to focus on this and on the root causes of crime. Alcohol abuse certainly plays a role. Deputy Ahern referred to the fact that people have more money. We should consider the type of pub that is popular nowadays, the super-pub. These are huge establishments in which the bar staff do not know who they are serving. People may be well on, as they say, yet continue to be served alcohol. This needs to change. The licensing laws need to be changed because it is clearly wrong to continue to serve people who are already inebriated. We can see the results of this on our streets at night. It has led to the huge increase in public order offences.
People are also concerned about joyriding – a very bad term, but the one commonly used. However, just as we glamorise alcohol, we glamorise cars. In a society in which the gap between rich and poor is increasing, as we know from the latest surveys – and the Government has fared badly in trying to reduce that gap – the only outlet is either alcohol or the fast car. How one gets one's hands on that fast car is another matter. It is ridiculous that although we have a speed limit of 70 mph, we have cars that can reach tremendous speeds such as 100 mph. As I have said before, cars and trucks should have what is called a governor to keep speeds down. If they did we would not be in the ridiculous situation of having to catch people speeding and speeding would become a thing of the past. In our society there is an inner, brooding discontent which is released through alcohol. We are living in times of great material advancement, yet we are seeing a kind of spiritual impoverishment.
There are a number of issues that need to be addressed. We need more gardaí on the beat and this is so obvious that every speaker will probably refer to it. In Paris two weekends ago I saw policemen on roller-skates. If someone suggested that here they would probably be laughed at but it seemed to be very effective. In other cities one may see policemen on bicycles – a visible presence, as people want in this city. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform needs to make sure there is a visible presence to provide reassurance, particularly late at night, so that those who are making life miserable for so many people may be brought to justice. Many parts of the city have become no-go areas and people do not want to venture out at night. I want to see that change and I hope my colleagues on the Opposition benches feel likewise.
Like other Members I wish to express sympathy to the families of Garda Tighe and Garda Padden who were so tragically and needlessly mown down on Sunday last. Their deaths are an indication of the type of situation that exists on our streets at present.
I want to refer, in particular, to the cancer of anti-social behaviour that is now prevalent in our cities and towns. I have raised this matter on numerous occasions in the House during the past 12 months by way of parliamentary questions and in contributions to Adjournment debates and Private Members' motions. The Minister has failed to respond to the need for community gardaí during that period. He certainly seems not to have grasped the fact that it is now absolutely necessary that gardaí be on the beat in towns, cities and housing estates. I am disappointed that the Minister, despite repeated requests, has failed to meet a deputation of local politicians from south Tipperary in connection with this matter which was raised with him eight months ago. I raised this matter in the House on previous occasions and requested that he meet with the deputation but, unfortunately, he has failed to do so.
We are hearing continual reports about the all-time high number of gardaí who are apparently in the employ of the State. I have tabled parliamentary questions regarding the number of gardaí in south Tipperary and the Minister has informed me, for example, that in the town of Clonmel there are 41 gardaí of all ranks. In practice, this means that in Clonmel and its hinterland, which have a population in the region of 25,000 to 30,000, there are at any one time six gardaí on duty who may either be in patrol cars or on the beat. That is completely inadequate. In the town in which the Minister lives, Tralee, which is slightly smaller than Clonmel, there are 70 gardaí. The local superintendent and Garda management in south Tipperary have requested the deployment of community gardaí in the area but they have not received a response or approval of that request to date.
I am approached on a regular basis by constituents who inform me that there is no point in reporting crime. The Garda Síochána is doing an excellent job to the best of its ability, but with very limited resources and inadequate manpower. Members of the public believe there is little point in reporting crime to the Garda, which means that anything up to 50% of crime is not being reported and the problem of anti-social activity in towns and villages is not being dealt with. I could name up to 20 families who have been driven out of their homes in the past 12 months as a result of anti-social behaviour. Having been driven out, they were then discriminated against by the local authority which will not allow them to put their names on the housing waiting list. I call for the deployment of community gardaí on the beat, not just in south Tipperary but throughout the country.
In supporting this motion, I begin by refuting the many allegations made in recent times that Sinn Féin is involved in vigilantism. These allegations from our political opponents have been orchestrated in the run-up to the forthcoming general election. This is a cynical party political exercise which has nothing whatever to do with vigilantism or crime, but is an attempt to frighten voters from supporting Sinn Féin. It is a deliberate diversion and a distraction from the real issues with which people are concerned. I wish to make it patently clear that vigilantism has no part to play in the response needed to the ever-increasing cycle of crime.
This brings me to the motion itself and the growing toll of violent crime and anti-social behaviour. I sympathise with the families of Garda Michael Padden and Garda Tony Tighe who were tragically killed last Sunday. They are the latest fatal victims of the growing anti-social scourge which is claiming lives in violent circumstances.
In this case, it was so-called joyriding which led to the deaths of the two gardaí. In the communities in Dublin where this nightly menace is at its worst, there is no surprise at these fatalities. The wonder is that many more individuals have not been killed as young people career through built-up residential areas at top speed, placing members of their own communities under virtual curfew. It is a disgrace that no attempt has been made by the Government during the term of this Dáil to address the scourge of so-called joyriding. The Bill in the name of Deputy Broughan could and should have been accepted by the Government, which was free to make any amendments it deemed necessary and to have them debated here.
It is totally unacceptable that there are inadequate places for young offenders. We have learned today that both of the young people being questioned in connection with last Sunday's burglary, car theft and death of the gardaí, were actually turned away from detention centres because there was no room for them. Clearly the system is not working at this level and people who are a danger to the community and to themselves are not being detained.
This is a problem which must be addressed at many levels. The motion highlights the estimate that only one in four assaults are reported to the Garda. I know from colleagues in Dublin and elsewhere that this figure is, if anything, an underestimate and that the range of other serious offences, including joyriding and drug dealing, is routinely unreported. Why is this? The reality is that people believe their reports to the Garda will be totally ineffective.
Growing levels of crime are by no means confined to our large cities and towns. During my canvas in the town of Bailieboro, County Cavan, in my constituency earlier in the week, the issue of anti-social behaviour and general lawlessness was raised on a number of occasions. People highlighted the absence of effective policing at the critical hours where the pattern of drink-fuelled lawlessness, threatening behaviour and damage to property has already been well established. While there are no quick-fix solutions to any of these problems, I believe that at all levels we must collectivise and ensure that there is an adequate response to meet the community's concerns and needs.
Acting Chairman
Deputies Brian and Tom Hayes will share the time remaining in this slot.
How much time is remaining?
Acting Chairman
Approximately three minutes.
I support the motion tabled by my party. The difficulty faced by the Government is that it made such a major issue of this in the run-up to the last election and accounted political responsibility to the then Minister for Justice, Deputy Owen. Now that the heat is on the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, it is clear he cannot take it. He has made a fool of himself in recent weeks in terms of the comments he has made. In my opinion, there is a question of political responsibility attaching to this issue. The fact is that, as I understand it, there are 31 places available nationally to detain youths who are out of control. As the previous speaker stated, it has now come into the public domain that one of those who was involved in the tragic events of last weekend had previously come before the courts. It was clear that the courts wanted this person assessed and put in a hostel for a period, none of which happened because of the difficulties between the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Why was this allowed to happen? Why was there no tracking system in place? This youth, who was out of control last weekend, should have been detained.
This is a matter of genuine public concern. Many thousands of youths in this city, not all of whom come from difficult family circumstances, are out of control. Repeatedly, parents have approached me and asked that I do everything in my power to ensure their children are removed from their control because they simply cannot control them. This demonstrates the frustration parents feel when the State figuratively puts its hands in the air and says it can do nothing about youths who are continually involved in crime. This issue must be resolved and this can only happen by detaining those who are involved on a continuous basis in anti-social activity and crime. Unless the State intervenes directly to put people away for a considerable period, we will not see results.
The Government has had five years to dramatically increase detention places. Regardless of what announcements we may hear next week or the week after that, this has not happened, which is a matter of concern not just to the people of this city but to those in urban areas throughout the country. Nothing has happened to ensure that our streets are safer and these uncontrollable kids are taken out of the community. They are a harm to themselves, the community around them and the law enforcement agency and something has to happen.
Tá mé thar a bheith sásta cúpla focal a rá ag an ócáid seo. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform comprehensively addressed many of the specific issues raised by Opposition Deputies yesterday evening. Not only does the Government remain prepared to stand over its record of achievement in office and be judged on it, but last night the Minister also laid bare the empty rhetoric of many of those on the opposite benches who would seek to criticise him.
Moreover, the Minister demonstrated yet again that he was quite prepared to tackle difficult issues head on when he announced yesterday evening that he had obtained Government approval in principle yesterday for the redesignation of an existing prison or part of a prison in order that the courts can be guaranteed that the small number of serious young offenders, whose presence in the community constitutes a serious threat to the rights of law abiding citizens, can if necessary be accommodated. As he informed the House, officials in his Department, the Prison Service and the Department of Education and Science will be settling the details for the provision of this additional remand accommodation as a matter of urgency.
The Government shares public concern about the incidence of violent assaults and the worrying anti-social behaviour of some young people. It should be noted, however, that although law enforcement has a crucial role to play in dealing with these problems, many of these crimes also require a change in behaviour and attitudes. On this note, every Deputy will know all too well the personal and social costs associated with the misuse of alcohol and drugs. As a result, extra demands are placed on the Garda Síochána, the courts and the prison service. Until the Government took office, these vital services were denied the resources they needed to manage at even minimal levels. The record high crime figures we experienced under the previous Government were the inevitable result.
Any fair minded observer will concede that we have addressed the enormous problems we inherited with unprecedented resources and legislation and have been successful in tackling crime and the causes of crime. As the Deputies heard yesterday evening, the Minister has enacted an unprecedented 46 Bills in office, many of which are designed to ensure criminals will be caught, brought before the courts and dealt with accordingly.
More than 1,200 new prison spaces have been built and the drugs treatment programmes in prisons have been expanded. The number of prisoners on temporary release has been reduced dramatically. In 1997 the number of prisoners on temporary release stood at 500, by October 2001 this had dropped to 150. Those on temporary release are, for the main, on structured programmes designed to reintegrate them into society on completion of their sentences. The current strength of the Garda Síochána is more than 11,700 and overall numbers are on course to reach 12,000 by the end of this year as promised in our programme for Government. This will constitute the greatest number of gardaí in the history of the State.
The consequence of this is a more visible Garda presence on the streets, which has been apparent to members of the public, particularly following public house and night club closing at weekends. A major expansion of Garda CCTV systems is under way to enhance public safety on our streets and a planned new mobile CCTV unit will significantly enhance the ability of the Garda to tackle disorder. It is anticipated that these systems will be installed by the end of the year.
The results are clear. The Opposition may like to play games with the statistics, but the bottom line is the same – a vast improvement on its pitiful performance in Government. In the light of all that was said by the Minister yesterday evening and my contribution this morning, I have no hesitation in commending to the House the Minister's amendment to the motion.
I will share time with Deputies Enright and Shatter. Despite having huge respect for the Deputy opposite, she is showing alarming complacency about what is happening on the streets of Dublin. To suggest the Minister is on top of everything and has secured tremendous achievements far superior than those of the rainbow Government is to engage in hollow politics. The Minister should not be turning out scripts provided by officials or whoever is operating the script machine.
The reality is that, while crime against property has declined with growing prosperity and declining unemployment, wanton violence on the street is rampant. Last week alone, five people, apart from the two gardaí, were killed in stabbings, shootings or other violent incidents. Such killings are commonplace on the streets of Dublin. Just up the road from my home, a poor Chinese man was beaten to death. This is the nature of Dublin life at present.
In our efforts to get to grips with this issue, we on this side of the House have done surveys on how people feel about crime. We found alarming fear with 90% of people afraid to go out at night alone. What is worse is that they have very low confidence in either the deployment and management of the Garda to tackle this sort of problem or the effectiveness and fairness of the courts to deal with it.
There is an alarming collapse of confidence in the criminal justice system. The instances which hit the headlines in the past week are just the tip of the iceberg. I have here well known figures from the emergency departments of the northside hospitals. Last year Beaumont Hospital dealt with 1,012 assaults, the James Connolly Memorial Hospital dealt with 687, while the Mater Hospital has still not got to grips with recording the number of assault cases. Therefore, there are some 3,000 cases of violent assault turning up in the accident and emergency departments of hospitals on the northside.
I turn to the Garda figures for the northside. These show that 260 assault offences were deemed worthy of recording as headline assaults during the same period, which is less than one in ten of the number appearing at the accident and emergency departments. Of these only 104 resulted in proceedings. Therefore, of 3,000 people who turned up at our accident and emergency departments, proceedings were taken in slightly more than 100 cases.
It is no wonder that people have lost confidence in the ability of the Garda and the criminal justice system to get to grips with the problem. It is not enough to wheel out hollow slogans like zero tolerance. The reality is that 2,900 people got away with assault having avoided criminal proceedings while in 100 cases proceedings were taken. That is not zero tolerance or the way to address a serious emerging problem. I understand the Minister of State and her colleagues panicking to find places to put these disturbed young people who are out of control, as Deputy Brian Hayes said. However, that is not enough. We have the worst figures in Europe for recidivism. Young people who go into institutions do not come out less likely to reoffend but more likely to do so. We need to seriously consider the way we handle young offenders.
I was shocked when I discovered that the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act, which we passed after years of waiting, still have not been brought into effect. They were supposed to offer alternative ways to handle such children. As Deputy Brian Hayes said, we all meet parents on the streets in Dublin who are appealing for help because they cannot control their young children. They cannot deal with what is happening to them at night. We must address that reality. Platitudes about places and statistics ring hollow in the ears of many people around the streets of Dublin. It is a big issue and it will require root and branch reform. It will not be achieved quickly or by slogans. I hope we will be in government after the election because we have done a lot of research and we are anxious and able to deal with this problem.
There are few people listening to this serious debate. However, it will not be conducted or won by the behaviour we have seen from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. While his performance in the House is combative and will probably win applause from his backbenchers, it does not help us to get to grips with this serious issue. Government members will discover that when they knock on doors during the election campaign. The Minister of State may not be knocking on doors on the north side of the city or in part of Deputy Brian Hayes's constituency. However, when she knocks on doors, she will find the response will not be what she expects.
I am sure the Deputy would be delighted to have me there.
I am seriously worried that the Government, particularly the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, appears to have lost total control of crime and street violence which has resulted in the past week in the deaths of six people, including two members of the Garda Síochána who died in the course of their duty. When one considers that in 2000 there was an increase of 113% in assaults causing grievous bodily harm and that only one in four assaults are reported to the Garda, the situation is serious. What is worse is that the Government is refusing to accept these facts. Something is seriously wrong at Government level, particularly in the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform under the stewardship of the Minister, Deputy O'Donoghue. The Minister was all bluff and bluster in opposition. However, now that he is in charge of the Department he has clearly failed in his responsibilities and duties.
A clear example of that was his abject failure in the Patrick Naughton affair. When the issue was debated in the House yesterday, the Minister said: "Replies are signed by me or on my behalf, but rarely would I have time personally to study the detail of such representations or replies, given the overall volume involved". I accept and understand that, but we are dealing with an appalling incident of child sexual abuse by a father on his daughter. This was a case of incest, rape and buggery. The father warned his daughter that if he got out of prison, he would put a stone around her stomach and drown her in a lake. Nine letters were written by the Minister to the Minister of State, Deputy Molloy, and six letters were written by the Minister of State, Deputy Molloy, to the Minister. Yet the Minister claims he knew nothing about the correspondence. If that is true, the situation is totally out of control. There should be a warning system to alert the Minister if someone writes about a court case.
It may have seemed like a good idea for the Government to direct 25% of budget give-aways to the richest 10% of the population and only 5% to the poorest 20% in the past five years. However, that has contributed to Ireland being one of the most unequal countries in the European Union with one of the highest rates of relative income poverty. There is a high price to be paid by all citizens who have experienced crime.
A statement in yesterday's Evening Herald was attributed to a Dublin garda who knows the gang involved in the crime spree which led to the deaths of his two fellow officers. He said they do not rate as criminals in their own area and many of the crimes they commit are not investigated by a detective. That is a highly disquieting statement since the experience of other countries and cities, such as New York, is that crime can only be reduced effectively when it is nipped in the bud at an early stage of a young person's life. What is the price of zero tolerance now? The garda put his finger on it when he said that many young people cannot be controlled by their parents. They seem to be in trouble from the age of seven or eight. That is probably the time the State should move in before a serious problem arises. Many professionals, such as social workers, are aware that the control of children in such cases begins to deteriorate from their toddler years. Research in the United States shows that money spent on early childhood and education results in big savings later. We are asking that an effort be made to help these young people at an early age.
The situation is getting worse. The Minister for Education and Science admitted this morning that the two young boys who caused the deaths of two gardaí should have been in custody at the time. However, they were out on the streets because the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, who is full of bluff and bluster, has allowed crime to run rampant. It is time he resigned.
I thank Members of the Opposition who contributed to this debate. I cannot extend similar thanks to those on the Government side who engaged in the usual defence of the Minister's position. While one or two were willing to admit there was some problem, none of them was willing to acknowledge the extent of the Government's responsibility for the problems with which we are now confronted. Last night the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform served us the usual menu of self-congratulations, bombast, misinformation, public relations spin and foolishness. I do not intend to spend any more time analysing his speech as that aptly sums it up.
One thing is clear, namely, that the Government's juvenile justice policy is a total shambles. In the Dáil this morning the Minister for Education and Science admitted that there are only 31 remand places available to enable juveniles under 16 years of age who are charged with serious offences to be held in custody pending trial. That is only 31 remand places to serve the entire country. He also acknowledged that the Government's scandalous failure to provide the places required resulted in one of the teenagers in the car which caused the tragic deaths of Garda Tony Tighe and Garda Michael Padden not being held on remand last year because Oberstown House was full. Astonishingly, he also admitted that in early February of this year Finglas assessment centre recommended that one of the teenagers in the car should reside in a hostel under the supervision of the probation and welfare service. However, to date that recommendation has not been implemented.
Apparently the teenager failed to turn up for a subsequent appointment with the probation and welfare service. If he did, it was the responsibility of the Minister for Education and Science and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to ensure, if necessary, that he was apprehended by the Garda Síochána and brought back before the courts.
The Minister for Education and Science and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform should explain what action was taken to implement the recommendation made last February by the Finglas centre. They must also indicate what action was taken to draw to the attention of the court this teenager's failure to co-operate with the implementation of the recommendations received.
Last night in the Dáil, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform said that 20 places for juveniles under 16 years of age are being made available at St. Patrick's Institute in Dublin. It emerged this morning that no arrangements have as yet been agreed between the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Department of Education and Science to implement this proposal. Neither Minister can state by what date these places will become available and, for the time being, there will remain only 31 remand places available for such juveniles. As we speak, a teenager charged with car offences who was yesterday to be placed in a remand centre is being held at Tallaght Garda station. He could not be placed in the centre because no place was available.
Both Ministers must clarify when the additional remand places will become available and should state when it is intended to make the necessary order required to ensure this use of St. Patrick's for remand juveniles is not open to legal challenge. The order required is also supposed to be laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas.
The Government's total failure over five years to meet needs in this area has been, in a very tragic way, totally exposed over the past week. The Government's juvenile justice policy can best be described as chaotic. The approach of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Minister for Education and Science can best be described as one of criminal neglect, and on the part of the Minister for Education and Science as sustained in the House today, one of total ignorance of what is happening in his Department and within an area for which he has direct responsibility and accountability to this House.
We need a new Government with a commitment to tackle the problems in this area. I doubt if there is any possibility that the motion from this side of the House will be passed this afternoon. However, it should be and deserves to be passed. We need a new Government with a different approach which will move away from political sloganeering and which will reclaim the streets for the wider community so that people feel safe on our streets and no longer under threat.
Amendment put.
Tá
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Ahern, Dermot.Ahern, Michael.Ahern, Noel. |
Aylward, Liam.Blaney, Harry. Brady, Johnny. |
Tá–continued
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Brady, Martin.Brennan, Séamus.Briscoe, Ben.Browne, John (Wexford).Callely, Ivor.Carey, Pat.Coughlan, Mary.Cowen, Brian.Cullen, Martin.Daly, Brendan.Davern, Noel.de Valera, Síle.Dempsey, Noel.Dennehy, John.Doherty, Seán.Ellis, John.Fahey, Frank.Fleming, Seán.Flood, Chris.Foley, Denis.Fox, Mildred.Gildea, Thomas.Hanafin, Mary.Haughey, Seán.Jacob, Joe.Kenneally, Brendan.Killeen, Tony. |
Kirk, Séamus.Kitt, Tom.Lenihan, Brian.Lenihan, Conor.McCreevy, Charlie.McDaid, James.McGuinness, John J.Martin, Micheál.Moloney, John.Ó Cuív, Éamon.O'Dea, Willie.O'Donnell, Liz.O'Flynn, Noel.O'Hanlon, Rory.O'Kennedy, Michael.O'Malley, Desmond.O'Rourke, Mary.Power, Seán.Roche, Dick.Ryan, Eoin.Smith, Michael.Wade, Eddie.Wallace, Dan.Wallace, Mary.Woods, Michael.Wright, G. V. |
Níl
|
Allen, Bernard.Belton, Louis J.Bradford, Paul.Broughan, Thomas P.Browne, John (Carlow-Kilkenny).Bruton, Richard.Burke, Liam.Burke, Ulick.Connaughton, Paul.Cosgrave, Michael.Coveney, Simon.Crawford, Seymour.Creed, Michael.Currie, Austin.Deasy, Austin.Deenihan, Jimmy.Dukes, Alan.Durkan, Bernard.Farrelly, John.Finucane, Michael.Flanagan, Charles.Gilmore, Éamon.Gormley, John.Gregory, Tony.Hayes, Brian.Hayes, Tom.Healy, Seamus.Higgins, Jim. |
Higgins, Joe.Higgins, Michael.Hogan, Philip.Howlin, Brendan.McGahon, Brendan.McManus, Liz.Mitchell, Gay.Mitchell, Olivia.Moynihan-Cronin, Breeda.Neville, Dan.Noonan, Michael.Ó Caoláin, Caoimhghín.O'Keeffe, Jim.O'Shea, Brian.O'Sullivan, Jan.Penrose, William.Quinn, Ruairí.Rabbitte, Pat.Reynolds, Gerard.Ryan, Seán.Sargent, Trevor.Shatter, Alan.Shortall, Róisín.Stagg, Emmet.Stanton, David.Timmins, Billy.Upton, Mary. |
Tellers: Tá, Deputies S. Brennan and Power; Níl, Deputies Bradford and Stagg.
Amendment declared carried.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
Tá
|
Ahern, Dermot.Ahern, Michael.Ahern, Noel.Aylward, Liam.Blaney, Harry.Brady, Johnny.Brady, Martin.Brennan, Séamus.Briscoe, Ben. Browne, John (Wexford). |
Tá–continued
|
Callely, Ivor.Carey, Pat.Coughlan, Mary.Cowen, Brian.Cullen, Martin.Daly, Brendan.Davern, Noel.de Valera, Síle.Dempsey, Noel.Dennehy, John.Doherty, Seán.Ellis, John.Fahey, Frank.Fleming, Seán.Flood, Chris.Foley, Denis.Fox, Mildred.Gildea, Thomas.Hanafin, Mary.Haughey, Seán.Jacob, Joe.Kenneally, Brendan.Killeen, Tony.Kirk, Séamus. |
Kitt, Tom.Lenihan, Brian.Lenihan, Conor.McCreevy, Charlie.McDaid, James.McGuinness, John J.Martin, Micheál.Moloney, John.Ó Cuív, Éamon.O'Dea, Willie.O'Donnell, Liz.O'Flynn, Noel.O'Hanlon, Rory.O'Kennedy, Michael.O'Malley, Desmond.O'Rourke, Mary.Power, Seán.Roche, Dick.Ryan, Eoin.Smith, Michael.Wade, Eddie.Wallace, Dan.Woods, Michael.Wright, G. V. |
Níl
|
Allen, Bernard.Barnes, Monica.Belton, Louis J.Bradford, Paul.Broughan, Thomas P.Browne, John (Carlow-Kilkenny).Bruton, Richard.Burke, Liam.Burke, Ulick.Connaughton, Paul.Cosgrave, Michael.Coveney, Simon.Crawford, Seymour.Creed, Michael.Currie, Austin.Deasy, Austin.Deenihan, Jimmy.Dukes, Alan.Durkan, Bernard.Farrelly, John.Finucane, Michael.Fitzgerald, Frances.Flanagan, Charles.Gilmore, Éamon.Gormley, John.Gregory, Tony.Hayes, Brian. |
Hayes, Tom.Healy, Seamus.Higgins, Jim.Higgins, Michael.Hogan, Philip.Howlin, Brendan.McGahon, Brendan.McManus, Liz.Mitchell, Gay.Mitchell, Olivia.Moynihan-Cronin, Breeda.Neville, Dan.Ó Caoláin, Caoimhghín.O'Shea, Brian.O'Sullivan, Jan.Penrose, William.Quinn, Ruairí.Reynolds, Gerard.Ryan, Seán.Sargent, Trevor.Shatter, Alan.Shortall, Róisín.Stagg, Emmet.Stanton, David.Timmins, Billy.Upton, Mary. |
Tellers: Tá, Deputies S. Brennan and Power; Níl, Deputies Bradford and Stagg.
Question declared carried.