A form of vetting takes place where people are being placed in particular types of local authority housing. Beyond that, anybody can move into an area and this problem can arise. It is really important that the Garda is alerted to any issues that arise within the community. If people within the community have suspicions or indeed have evidence to show that drug dealing is taking place and that particular communities are being subjected to the types of abuse and attacks that the Deputy mentioned, it is important tha…

I say this from experience. In our constituencies, we have all come across situations of families with children involved and there are different scenarios. It is therefore not as straightforward as moving people out of communities. However, where somebody is creating that level of fear and intimidation within an estate or a community, it is really important that the Garda responds and acts, as I believe it does. At the same time, it needs to have the evidence and the support to be able to move forward with prosecut…

I would like to see more gardaí in Cork. I would also like to see more gardaí across the country. I want to see the numbers we have increase regardless of what the overall figure is now. As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the deployment of personnel. Having said that, the unprecedented allocation of more than €2 billion for 2023 and €2.35 billion for 2024 to An Garda Síochána demonstrates the Government's commitment to ensuring there is provision for the necessary equipment, tech…

We find ourselves in a position across the country where we have approximately 1,000 fewer gardaí than we should have. This is because the impact of Covid-19 meant no new recruits went into the college in Templemore for two years. We had gathered momentum in the recruitment campaigns at that stage and they had been producing significant numbers of new members. We are only back to those numbers now because it has taken time to do so through various campaigns. Work has been done to encourage more people to apply and …

Competitions are run on an ongoing basis. Panels are developed and then positions are filled. Where new Garda members go or where serving members are redirected must be a matter for the Garda Commissioner. My job is to ensure the Garda and its members have the resources they need, the support they need and, as far as I can ensure it, that more people are going through Templemore to train to become gardaí and more civilian staff are being taken on. As I said, we have had our recruitment campaign for the Garda Reserv…

The US model of community courts received consideration within the Department some years ago and the concept has some similarities with the drug court which has operated in the Dublin District Court since 2001. Several jurisdictions have developed what are sometimes referred to as "problem-solving" courts. Models include community courts, drug courts and restorative programmes. These courts can vary in character, but they generally incorporate a combination of sanction for the crime, assistance in rehabilitation an…

I am interested in meeting the Deputy to go through the details and see what options are available.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. She is right. We are not the only ones who are discussing this matter. There are people the length and breadth of the country around their kitchen tables, as well as businesses and people abroad who are looking to come home over the summer, who are extremely concerned and worried about the potential strikes. Families have saved all year round for what are perhaps once-in-a-lifetime holidays. Businesses not just here but abroad depend on the ability to travel. Of course, th…

I am not sure the Government can be any clearer in its approach here. The only way this can be resolved is by parties coming around the table together. The Government cannot force either party to come around the table. What it can do is stress, outline and highlight very clearly the negative implications that this will have for individuals and business throughout this country and also for our reputation, if this were to go ahead. I do not believe pilots want to see that happen. I do not believe Aer Lingus wants to …

I wish Deputy Cairns well and congratulate her and her partner on their news. I thank her for raising this issue. It is the objective of all of us, including Cara, is to make sure that every young person and child can fulfil his or her full potential. That means no matter who you are, no matter where you have come from, no matter what your family situation is or what school you attend or what services you need and no matter what additional needs you might have, they are provided and every child is given the opportu…

I can assure the Deputy and Cara, and many young people like her, that we are acting. I think that is clear from the fact that €780 million has been provided in additional funding for those with special and additional needs over the past four years of this specific Government. I can assure the Deputy that additional funding has been allocated to make sure those waiting lists are reduced and that a quarter of our budget, an increase of €113 million, is now being spent on special education and making sure that those …

What I can say is that this is a Government that supports workers and also supports enterprise because without the businesses to create these jobs, where would we be? This Government understands that in order to create wealth and jobs for young people and everybody else we need to make sure our businesses are supported as well. We have supported workers by increasing sick pay. We have introduced remote working and domestic violence leave. We have increased parental leave and the minimum wage. In the past year alone…

I do not think we can be any clearer that without employers we do not have employees. I outlined the supports we are putting in place for employers. It is important we support them. It is also important that we support employees too. That is why we have introduced sick pay and remote working for those who can engage in it. That is why we have introduced domestic violence leave, acknowledging the challenges that people face. That is why we have introduced and are extending parental leave. That is why we have increas…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Like him, I appreciate the frustration that families and, in particular, parents feel at not being able to access services in a timely way. We all see that in our constituencies when these queries are raised with us. This is an area that has received significant investment in recent years, with more than €200 million allocated every year for oral healthcare. That investment is targeted at those who need it the most and those who cannot access services privately. There is a…

We are committed to improving services overall. On top of the €200 million budget for public oral health, there has been additional funding of €15 million for the Smile agus Sláinte policy and €17 million in one-off funding to improve waiting lists for orthodontic services. There was €10 million in 2023 to support a decrease in the number of patients waiting to commence that treatment. There has been another one-off investment this year of €3.35 million to reduce waiting lists further. That said, we want to improve…

As the Deputy will be aware, it is the Commissioner who is responsible for delegating the resources that he or potentially she has at his or her disposal. The Commissioner has been clear in saying that additional resources have been allocated within the Dublin region, specifically regarding the Luas, train stations and areas where there have been problems. Additional gardaí have been allocated. He has made it very clear that he does not believe there is a need for a specialist unit within the Garda. However, alloca…

A report yesterday and several other reports have indicated that one in four women in this country is a victim of domestic violence. Therefore, the suggestion that women are at risk from other people coming into this country is pretty hard to take or listen to. There are challenges no matter where you are and no matter who you are, particularly for women. Senators need to reflect on the types of accusations they are making here and how they feed into so much of the divisive, nasty and racist rhetoric across the cou…

First, this is a plan that has been drawn up by the community. The whole basis for the community partnerships is that it is not just focused on gardaí when it comes to safety, but the people in the community who know the community and understand the needs of the community come together with the local authority, with the Garda, with education, with the HSE and with supports more broadly and put together a plan. It also includes public representatives but, unfortunately, the Deputy and others have not really engaged …

We also must acknowledge that we need a system for those who seek international protection that has a structure that is firm and fair to those who genuinely need protection and help. We want to provide that help. We cannot provide it to everybody. Globally, there are millions of people on the move. We want to play our part and we will play our part but we must have a structure and a plan. I have listened to the debates here. I missed the beginning of some but was briefed on them and, even with the debates last nigh…

Everybody has been offered the opportunity to engage with this. It is very important that the community are empowered through the partnerships to identify what they need. Many of these actions have been implemented, many have been supported with funding and many are seed projects that will then lead on to something more substantial. However, it is very important that as the initial three pilots were assessed and as we now roll them out, they have full buy-in and support from everybody in the community, including ou…