I regard this as a very important Bill which goes far beyond the proposals contained in it. It is about the balancing and repositioning of rights. Democracy is built on the rights assigned to individuals and communities over a period and the normal evolution of rights in a progressive society means introducing more liberal laws to enable people to think and act for themselves.
However, a dangerous culture has grown up here in the past few years whereby more and more rights are assigned to wrongdoers, law breakers, muggers and all sorts of evildoers. The perpetrators of crime now have more rights than the victims. The poacher has outfoxed the gamekeeper.
This House must reflect on the concerns of people and act accordingly. People are sick to the teeth of the latitude criminals seem to have. Hardened criminals know the law inside out. They know the loopholes and the limits within which the Garda Síochána must work. Above all else, they are masters in recognising their own rights.
My position is clear. I want some of the rights currently enjoyed by criminals retracted or reduced. I have spoken to hundreds of concerned citizens, particularly in my constituency, East Galway, following the spate of murders, muggings and savage beatings of elderly people. They all want tougher action against criminals, and it would be remiss of this House not to take note of that concern nation-wide. People want the balance to tilt back towards the victim. They want legislation which will be workable, sustainable, transparent and, above all else, effective. I share that view. I realise there must be checks and balances and mechanisms in place to protect the innocent. However, the honest, decent man and woman in the street want the security to be able to perform their lawful duties without the stress, anxiety and fear caused by criminals roaming our streets. What rights had poor Tommy Casey of Oranmore, County Galway, an elderly man who was savagely beaten in his own house by mindless thugs a couple of months ago? What rights had the two elderly farmers in east Galway, both living on their own, who were subjected to the most brutal attacks, who were beaten, burned and subjected to beastly and degrading behaviour by mindless thugs? They had no rights.
We had better accept that the fight is on. This is not something that has arisen in the past two months. It has been a creeping paralysis over the past ten or 15 years. During that time we allowed ourselves to be outmanoeuvred by a line of thought that convincingly claimed that everybody has certain sacrosanct rights. I compliment the Minister for Justice on introducing this Bill. However, I knew it would be only a matter of hours before there would be outright opposition to it. On Tuesday on "Morning Ireland" I heard somebody from a civil liberties group objecting to the seven day detention provision which is a central plank of the Bill. If that is taken out of the Bill, we will have wasted our time. Against that background, if we genuinely believe we are losing the battle, particularly against drug-related cases, we must ensure that our laws strengthen the had of the Garda Síochána on that very thin line between peace and anarchy and give them the wherewithal to carry out the job on our behalf.
It is important to protect the innocent. Under this legislation, whereby people can be held for seven days, a person in custody must be brought before a court within 48 hours, and any rights will be attainable at that stage. I see nothing wrong with that. We will have to go further to rid society of the menace of drug-related offences.
I am informed that about 80 per cent of inmates in some of our prisons are there for drug-related offences. If that is so, we have a huge problem on our hands. I do not have to tell this House that terrible deeds are carried out by drug-crazed criminals. Drug traffickers are the scum of the earth. I cannot think of anything lower than a drug trafficker. They should not have any rights. Some people will be highly critical of me for saying that. Any person who peddles drugs should be sentenced to hard labour. I would not be sorry if the death penalty were reintroduced for convicted drug barons. We have reached the stage where we must introduce draconian measures. The godfathers of crime have access to information and are legally well briefed. They are playing for extremely high stakes.
The provisions in the Bill must reflect the concern of the community that for the past ten years the balance seems to be in favour of the criminal. We cannot stand for that. The provision that non-uniformed gardaí may raid a disco is welcome and should have been introduced 20 years ago. The Bill also provides that customs officials may question suspects. That may need to be strengthened. We must hit criminals where it hurts most, in their pockets. Revenue and customs officials should be in a position to use whatever mechanisms are necessary to track down ill-gotten gains irrespective of whether they are invested in flats, shops, houses and farms or used in money laundering. Suspects should be hounded every day of their lives.
While we cannot do much to prevent people in foreign countries growing plants that produce drugs, we should try to secure our coastline and ensure drugs are not dumped on our shores. I understand several Governments have requested the EU to provide funding for a programme to examine the transportation of illegal drugs.
I compliment all those involved in drug seizures but we must remember that the amounts seized are the tip of the iceberg. There is a major drugs problem in Ireland and we must take all necessary measures to prevent illegal trafficking of drugs.
The Bill is an austere measure which I welcome. I have little time for the champions of civil liberties and do gooders as far as this issue is concerned. It is incumbent on us to put the boot in. I hope the Bill will have a speedy passage through the House. It will considerably strengthen the hands of the Garda and customs officials and if this measure is found to be deficient we must tighten the screw a little more.
The drugs problem was not given the attention it merited over the years. There is no point in saying that this Government is more likely to solve it than any other Government but I hope we will come to grips with the problem. I applaud the efforts of the Minister for Justice who is extremely interested in this area. She believes it is possible to curtail the problem, if not solve it completely. I hope this legislation will result in saving the lives and health of many young people who, were it not for drugs, would be in a better position than they are today. This matter concerns everyone and there is no point blaming the Government, Opposition or the Garda. Parents must take a greater interest in what young people do particularly late at night and at some of the rave discos. I hope the Bill achieves its objectives.