Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-30
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Gary Gannon (SD), Dublin Central

-----but in March, for example, farmers were forced to sell cattle to pay drug debts amid rising rural crime.
What is happening in this State with drugs, drug-related intimidation and the exploitation and coercion of children into that crime is an absolute failure of this Republic. It will not simply be addressed by Fine Gael stating it is a party of law and order on its website. It must look into the underlying causes of the crime, the cycle that brings children into criminality and into the prison systems and to have that repeated ad nauseam . Also, why is this happening in communities that never felt it? There is something deeper happening and I do not believe for a second that the Tánaiste's Government is aware of it or has the means by which we can actually police it. We do not have enough gardaí in this State to police the level of crime and criminality that is happening, and we certainly do not have the understanding to appreciate what causes that crime.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-30/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:49+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-30