Law and order is the subject which most exercises the minds of Members of the House and the public, particularly those involved in efforts to ensure law and order by preventing crime. As Deputy O'Donoghue mentioned, Article 43.1 of the Constitution enshrines the responsibilities we have to ensure citizens can receive the benefits of law and order.
The issue has tended to become politicised recently. Since the Minister for Justice took office there seems to have been an explosion in media coverage of debates on crime, the drugs problem. prison places and on comments from gardaí. The difficulties the Minister faces did not begin when she took office — they have been building up for many years under many Ministers for Justice.
I will not address the complexities and niceties of the law and court procedures, the changes needed, the intent of this Bill and the Minister's intentions. There are four elements which are important to the people. We have a responsibility as legislators to ensure we have practical, intelligent and speedily implementable laws. The responsibility for the implementation of those laws and dealing with those who infringe them falls on the Garda and then on the courts. The prison system then has to cope with the outcome of the court procedures.
In taking stock of the four strands of law enforcement we have to admit that the Legislature has been remiss in its efforts to put in place proper, workable and effective laws. In the last ten to 15 years we have had many reports from the Law Reform Commission, recommendations, discussions, study groups and position papers. The Minister has an ambitious programme. I hope our efforts in bringing forward Private Members' Bills will speed up the process.
This morning the Minister suggested that she did not intend to get involved in a league table as to who produced the most paper on the issues. However, the frustrations we feel have led us to draft various Bills, present them to the House and make a competent case for them in the hope the House will support them. If the Government rejects them, let it speed up its process so the House may give effect to the necessary measures. I hope the Minister will bring forward her Bill speedily so that the best recommendations in Deputy O'Donoghue's Bill can be incorporated in it and, more importantly, so that action is taken and the legislation required is put before the House.
As legislators we have to accept that we have not adequately responded to the requirements. No other issue is higher in people's minds. This is brought home to us not only when we canvass door to door — as we are doing at present in my constituency — but also in our normal work and at public meetings. This issue is above all others on the political agenda. Erring on the side of action may bring criticism from some but the public wants us to err on the side of taking urgent action.
One has to feel sympathy for the Garda. I raised matters related to the Garda in my constituency on the Adjournment of the House and the Minister responded. She does not need the Opposition to articulate in detail the various concerns of gardaí who risk life and limb in the process of arresting criminals, taking them to court to be charged and having them sent to prison only to have the revolving door system release them. The gardaí are frustrated when they have honoured their duties, only to discover their efforts have been in vain.
The representatives in this House in the past decade or so can collectively take the blame for the lack of prison spaces and facilities. We will support the Minister if prison spaces and other necessary facilities are provided. It falls to us to be constructively critical when we do not see decisive action. When Fianna Fáil was last in Government it took decisions on what it considered to be necessary action. For various financial reasons the present Government deferred certain of those decisions. An attempt is now being made to put them back on the agenda. Whatever may be the Government's priorities and financial constraints, the provision of prison spaces should not be retarded.
We also have to examine the operation of the Garda. How many times will manpower studies, realignments, readjustments, appointments of deputy commissioners, regionalisations and other managerial changes be put in train when there is disquiet and criticism of Garda management? There is a perception among members of the community of a degree of concern about the commitment of the Garda to its tasks and responsibilities. I urge the Minister through the Garda commissioner to ensure full commitment to the various tasks of the Garda. It is not productive or helpful to be specifically critical because the vast majority of members of the Garda give that full commitment.
We all accept that court procedures are archaic, ridiculous and a waste of manpower. Gardaí are obliged to sit in courts for hours and days waiting for cases because of an incompetent listing system. Some time ago this House undertook to look at waiting lists and emergency facilities in the health services. One must come to the conclusion that the operations of the courts are equally in need of intelligent, pragmatic and realistic timetabling. Some degree of efficiency will have to be introduced into the system.
The fourth point I wish to make relates to prisons. According to tonight's Evening Herald the Minister will go to Mountjoy Prison tomorrow to open a new drugs free unit. According to the newspaper's headline, the unit is being “slated”. Gardaí and prison staff cannot understand why there is an acceptance of mediocrity within the vast operation of Mountjoy. The newspaper states: “Inside Mountjoy over 40 per cent of the 600-plus prisoners are said to be addicts with heroin, ecstasy, LSD and cannabis freely available”. If that is the case, it is deplorable and unacceptable. The managerial staff of the prison system are either not effective or something is horribly wrong.