I congratulate the Minister, Deputy Brennan, on his new appointment. I also extend those congratulations to the Leas Cheann-Comhairle on his appointment.
The practice has been that one or two Ministers reply to issues raised on the Adjournment on behalf of a plethora of Ministers. Having been asked to stand in that capacity on more than one occasion, as Fine Gael Chief Whip I do not intend to allow that practice to continue for the foreseeable future. I do not want to be ungracious but it is simply not the done thing. I know there are compelling reasons that Ministers cannot be here, but I want it recorded that this will not be accepted.
I thank the Leas Cheann-Comhairle for allowing me to raise this issue which has received some public attention recently. It appears that a carefully organised gang, led by a Fagan-like character, has been involved in a series of bank robberies. The leader has gathered vulnerable people, some of whom are drug addicts or involved in the distribution of drugs, and until today very little was known by the public about what was happening. A member of my family went to the bank in Maynooth in recent weeks and found that it had been robbed a few days previously, as had the adjoining bank. It transpires that banks have been robbed in adjoining towns. In the last 24 hours it seems banks have been systematically robbed.
This is not a new phenomenon; it occurs every so often. The public is brassed off at the contempt which some organised gangs have for society and law and order. There is no doubt that these gangs have no intention of being intimidated by anybody. They seem to think that they can continue in this fashion with impunity. They cannot and they shall not do so. It is for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to come to grips with this urgently. Given the international emphasis on organised crime, this is the one issue that must be tackled. It is no good trying to make our streets safe or introduce legislation because the legislation to deal with this problem is already there. I know that sin cannot be abolished and I know legislators cannot abolish the breaking of laws because laws will always be broken.
The most interesting thing about these crimes is the precision with which they are carried out. The precision is almost military and is to such an extent that the perpetrators obviously take great pride in the way they carry out their crimes. I may not be up to date on this, but I have not heard anything about the recovery of the stolen money. I am sure that will come in due course. It is imperative that the necessary procedures are put in place, both covertly and overtly, to put a stop to the gallop of those who are perpetrating these crimes.
