Will the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment comment on the horrendous increase in violent assaults occurring on the streets of Dublin on a daily basis? Figures published during the week show a five-fold increase in violent assault in just two years. Does she agree that the Minister with responsibility in this area, far from responding to this, has sought to spread the blame by suggesting Opposition parties are holding up his programme of reform when the reality is that he is unable to present his proposals to the House? He has not yet completed his amendments. Does the Minister agree that is it is time the Minister in question took his responsibilities seriously and instead of publishing 50 proposals for legislation, started to get to grips with the real problems of crime on our streets and implement the laws that are already in place to make it safe to go out in cities, towns and rural areas?
Leaders' Questions.
I share the Deputy's concern at the increase in crime. It is a matter of concern to the entire community. To a large extent, data is now being recorded that was not recorded in the past. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has indicated he intends to publish the figures quarterly.
A number of Bills will greatly strengthen the powers of the Garda Síochána. For example, the new Criminal Justice (Garda Powers) Bill will give substantial additional powers to the Garda to investigate serious crime and the new public order legislation – currently going through the Oireachtas – will also enhance the power of the Garda in public order offences.
The Ministers for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and Health and Children have spoken about issues around alcohol and the whole culture of alcohol consumption. Some of the measures that are to be introduced should be of help as a large proportion of crime arises from over-indulgence in alcohol and the combination of alcohol and drugs.
Since 1997 the Government has substantially increased resources in this area. There are an additional 1,100 gardaí and more than 1,200 new prison spaces. The Garda budget has increased by 60% from under €600 million to €900 million annually. While I do not think it is a question of resources, the new legislation will help the Garda in its work.
Does the Minister agree with me that part of the problem related to alcohol is the confusing approach from Government on alcohol policy? We often see Ministers photographed in pubs and other places of entertainment. The Government has extended the opening hours of public houses and expanded the availability of alcohol at every opportunity. The Government has no credibility in telling people that alcohol consumption needs to be curbed – it has lost its credibility in this area.
What is the Minister's response to the Government's solemn commitment to the recruitment of an additional 2,000 gardaí. The Minister for Finance has just told us that he is struggling with other Departments to reduce public service numbers by 5,000. Is it not the case that this was a promise made to get over the election period and cover the absence of a strategy to deal with a burgeoning problem of violent assault on our streets?
Does the Minister not agree that now is the time to implement the legislation that is already in force? For example, in relation to parents being involved in dealing with young offenders, the system that has been enabled by the juvenile justice legislation is still not being operated. Does the Minister agree that these are issues that need to be addressed rather than talking about café clubs and other kites she tries to fly from time to time?
As somebody that was involved in the opening of a licensed premises, I do not believe the opening of such premises—
That was only a flying visit.
I do not believe there is a contradiction between opening more facilities and responsible drinking. We are not trying to stop people drinking or enjoying alcohol, we are trying to encourage responsible drinking. The cafe approach, which is the norm in Europe and the United States for people who want a coffee or a glass of beer, is preferable.
We do not have the resources at present for the additional 2,000 gardaí and that is why we have not been able to proceed with our commitment in the programme for Government in that regard. Clearly, it is resource dependent.
Does the Tánaiste welcome the Taoiseach's proposal to hold a constitutional referendum on the question of building land and the primacy of the public good over private property? Does she acknowledge the crisis in terms of access to affordable housing and that the price of building land is central to putting housing again within the reach of people on middle and low incomes? Will the Tánaiste confirm that this is a Government proposal? I presume it is not only a Fianna Fáil proposal. Do the Progressive Democrats support this proposition? What is the point in referring this to a Dáil committee? What is the advice of the Attorney General on the matter? Will she outline the shape of the proposal to address this issue which was raised as long ago as the late 1960s in the Kenny report? Give or take six months, when will this proposal be put before the Irish people and will her party join with Fianna Fáil, my party and other parties in the House in campaigning on this issue?
It is not a Government proposal officially, but I share the views expressed by the Taoiseach in this regard. The common good must come first provided a person gets a reasonable return for property that has to be acquired – by that I mean reasonable, not the rates that have been paid in recent years.
As the Deputy is aware, this issue has been long-fingered since the Kenny report. It would require a constitutional referendum. It is important, therefore, that the views of all parties in the House are sought if we are to proceed along that route. I do not believe a referendum would be easily carried unless the preparatory work is done in advance. The Taoiseach's approach to ask the all-party Oireachtas group to consider this as a matter of priority is the appropriate way forward. Hopefully the matter can be put to the people as soon as possible.
What does the Tánaiste mean by saying the preparatory work has to be done first? Does she believe the five developers that own all the land in this county are likely to defeat the wish of the people generally? When the Tánaiste says she shares the Taoiseach's views, does that have any more meaning than the Taoiseach's off the top of his head thinking to RTE? The truth is the Taoiseach has no intention of putting such a referendum to the people. It would be against the interests of the people whose support he considers most valuable. Is it not the case that the record of the Government on housing is that one should abolish the first-time buyer's grant, increase VAT, hand back 16,000 sites and introduce a stamp duty regime for investors and that it has no intention of addressing the matter? The Taoiseach's way of dealing with the matter is to refer it to a Dáil committee that will exist for the lifetime of the Government. This is off the top of his head populism with which the Tánaiste is now associating herself. Is there a Government proposal? That is a simple straightforward question. I am not interested in the Taoiseach's views. He has developed the habit of commentating on politics. Is there a proposal by the Government in this regard?
Ownership is important in Ireland and that is why in other referenda, for example the divorce referendum, it became a major issue and the Deputy is well aware of that. It is not an issue for only five or six developers, it is an issue that people hold dearly. There is no point in the Government embarking on a referendum that might not be carried. It is important that we get it right.
It is being shot down.
It is not being shot down. It is a serious commitment to ask the committee to consider the issue, as we did on other issues in the past. At the earliest opportunity, we will put the matter to the public because it will require a constitutional referendum.
As a matter of record, we are building more houses than ever. The stamp duty regime was changed because individuals who could not afford houses, who were dependent on the rented sector, were paying exorbitant rents because there were very few people investing in that sector. That is why the Government changed its attitude in relation to stamp duty.
There are many more people waiting for housing now.
We built 20,000 more houses than the Opposition.
The arrival in Northern Ireland last night of the US President, Mr. Bush, was widely broadcast on television and he is shown in today's newspapers embracing an innocent child. When the Tánaiste saw those images did she think, as many people did, of the hundreds of innocent Iraqi children whose bodies had been torn to shreds by Mr. Bush's cluster bombs? Did she think of 12 year old, Ali Ismail Abbas asleep—
It is not appropriate to display anything in the House when contributing to a debate.
—when a missile slaughtered most of his family, leaving him orphaned, horribly burned with both his arms blown off? As a sup porter of the invasion of Iraq, does the Tánaiste know how revolted many people in this State are by the nauseating hypocrisy of Messrs Bush and Blair cynically using the Irish peace process as an alibi to cover their bloody slaughter in Iraq? Does she understand how demeaned people in this State feel that the Taoiseach of their country allows himself to be humiliated with a 30 minute walk-on role, a bit player in the Bush-Blair charade, when they were finished with their main agenda, the carve-up of Iraqi resources?
Yesterday the United States Air Force dropped four 2,000 lb bombs on a residential district, El Mansour in Baghdad, in an apparent attempt to kill Saddam Hussein, and 14 civilians were killed. Does the Tánaiste justify this attack on a civilian area in Baghdad and does she justify the killing of journalists today who were deliberately shot by tank fire and, in the case of Al-jazeera, by a strike from an aeroplane.
I do not believe that any Deputy, Deputy Higgins or any other, has a monopoly on compassion. We are all concerned at what we see. Hopefully this sad war will come to an end soon and the awful atrocities we have seen on our televisions in the past 20 days can be brought to an end. However it is good that the Taoiseach has had an opportunity to meet President Bush and the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, to discuss the post-conflict situation in Iraq, the need for the UN to have a lead role and the humanitarian issues that arise. That opportunity has not been afforded to many others and it is right that the Taoiseach should be there and should avail of the opportunity to discuss these matters face to face with President Bush on behalf of the Irish people.
Does the Tánaiste not recognise that the Taoiseach, Deputy Ahern, and the peace process are being cynically used? Is that not obvious to the world? If the Tánaiste woke up from a three week sleep and was told that one side of the conflict in Iraq killed fewer than 100 soldiers while the other side killed countless thousands of civilians and conscripts, who would she think possessed the weapons of mass destruction? Where are the weapons of mass destruction which allegedly prompted this invasion that she supports? If a dictatorship facing extinction does not use poisonous chemical warfare to save itself, is it credible that regime posed a mortal danger to the United States and Britain, which was the alleged cover for the criminal invasion of Iraq?
It appears increasingly likely that the smoking gun will have to be flown in from Texas where more of it exists than anywhere else in the world. How can the Tánaiste continue to justify this invasion? I want to finally ask a question which the Taoiseach did not answer last week. Is the Tánaiste revolted by the cynical battle behind the scenes among multinational oil corporations and western powers to get their hands on the Iraqi people's oil to boost their already swollen profits? Does that revolt her in view of what is going on currently in Iraq?
Nobody could be happy about what is happening in Iraq and we hope it all comes to an end very quickly. Given the progress that was made, I believe we can expect that. I do not accept what Deputy Higgins said. It is clear there are a considerable number of oil wells which have not been used. The fact that people have not used certain weaponry does not mean they do not have it. They might not be in a position to use it.
Ireland's concern is a humanitarian one and we will play whatever role is required of us in that regard. We have already made commitments in relation to resources. We will make further resources available when they are needed. It is a positive development that the Taoiseach was able to talk to the two people primarily responsible—
For slaughter.
—the President of the United States and the British Prime Minister, in relation to the Iraqi situation.