Vol. 303 No. 7
asked the Minister for Justice if any discussions have taken place between his Department and the Department of the Environment regarding the relationship between law and order on the streets and the proper and efficient planning and development of the physical environment.
12.
asked the Minister for Justice if the Garda Síochána have been consulted by the Department of the Environment and by local authorities regarding the maintenance of law and order on the streets and the proper development of this country's urban environment; if so, the nature of those discussions; and if any proposals for action have emanated from them.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 12 together. While there are major differences of opinion between persons who have studied crime and its causation, it is scarcely open to doubt that certain environmental factors, such as bad housing and lack of recreation areas, can be a contributory cause. This, however, is obviously well known to the agencies dealing directly with these problems both at national and local level, and I would not agree that special or formal discussions between those agencies on the one hand and my Department and the Garda Síochána on the other hand are likely to be either necessary or worth while. Where in any particular locality there is an exceptional environmental problem, as has been the case from time to time in Dublin, for example, the Garda Síochána have found that the housing and planning authorities were very well aware of it and were doing everything they could to improve the situation.
Did I understand the Minister to say that he did not personally think any purpose would be served by having discussions between officers of his Department and of the Department of the Environment?
What I said is that there is no question of formal discussions taking place. Informal discussions occur all the time.
In view of the unprecedented urban expansion that is taking place and in view of departmental plans for most of the major local authorities, would the Minister not think it necessary to formalise these discussions before these plans are finalised?
The Deputy's suggestion is fairly novel and I am quite prepared to examine it on its merits.
