I thank the Senator for the amendments. Again, all of them are particularly focused on the functions of An Garda Síochána under section 9. In amendment No. 12, the Senator is proposing to insert the phrase "preserving safety and security in our communities." If one looks at the section and the objectives of An Garda Síochána - and I know the Senator is saying that it does not specifically say security or safety - it includes concepts such as preserving peace and public order, protecting life and property, preventin…

I cannot accept the amendment because it is actually provided for elsewhere in the Bill. In section 30(4)(ii) of the Bill it confirms that the Garda Commissioner is accountable to the board for the performance of his or her functions. The function of the Garda Commissioner then in section 33 of the Bill includes the function "to assist and cooperate with the Authority and the Police Ombudsman in order to facilitate the performance" of either his or her functions, a new explicit function which was not in the current…

The project was part of a wider PPP project with Macroom and Hammond Lane family court complex in Dublin. Those projects have since been separated so Macroom and Clonmel are now progressing separate to the court. That progress will continue. Money has been allocated and construction will begin next year.

First, I thank all Deputies for their contributions to this evening's debate. I know the thoughts of everyone in the House very much remain with the victims of the appalling attack that took place 12 days ago outside Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire and my thoughts are, in particular, with the young child and her carer who are both still in a critical condition in hospital. Of course, we are all wishing for their full recovery. Deputy McDonald has left the Chamber. My colleagues have responded well to her comments. The D…

I wish to say at the outset that my thoughts are still very much with the young girl and with her carer, both of whom are critically ill in hospital. What happened to those children and that school is an unimaginable tragedy. My thoughts are with them, their families, the school and the wider community. What we saw unfold after that appalling tragedy was a small group of people, who do not represent me or the vast majority of people in this country, who took that tragedy and used it to sow division and hatred, spre…

We also saw the largest mobilisation of our public order units, with more than 400 members of An Garda Síochána coming together to respond to these thugs. In a very short space of time, we saw these thugs being contained into a small part of our city centre. What we saw was devastating and not one of us ever imagined that we would witness what we witnessed, but the thugs were contained by gardaí. We saw other teams of gardaí protecting those who were trapped in their businesses and could not leave their workplaces.…

Of course there will be lessons learned, and there should be, from a catastrophic event of this size, and the Garda and we as a country will be the better for it. Regarding the school and those children, I have been in contact with the principal numerous times. I have been in contact with the Garda – not just the Commissioner, but local gardaí at Store Street. I assure colleagues that, above all, every resource that the parents and staff at that school require will be made available to them. Gardaí are there and wi…

We all have a role to be responsible in the House. The Deputy should consider that before she starts waving pictures around.

The Deputy has said a lot of things. Her party has said a lot of things.

The Deputy's leader has said a lot of things since last Thursday. Not a single solution, not a single proposal and not a single thing of benefit has come out of Sinn Féin's mouth since last Thursday.

Instead, Sinn Féin has used a tragic situation to sow division, to point score and to create instability. I thought for a second last week, when I rang all of the Dublin Central Deputies, for a split second, that we would be united in our determination to face down these absolute thugs, who wreaked havoc in our city centre for a period of time. Instead, less than 24 hours later, Deputy O'Reilly's leader was standing on the edge of a criminal scene calling for heads.

When I spoke to the Garda Commissioner and Garda members last week, I did so to offer my support. When the Deputy's leader rang the Garda Commissioner, it was to call for his head. When people in this country want stability, all Sinn Féin is interested in is providing instability.

That is the difference between the Government and the Deputy's party.

I thank the Deputy for her contribution. I fully agree in that I do not believe this is the time for grandstanding and waving pictures. Again, I suggest to the Opposition that it think about what exactly it is trying to achieve here. To respond to the Deputy's question about our capital city, there is much talk about the capital belonging to no one individual. It belongs to us all. There is not one of us who was not devastated by what happened last Thursday, by what happened the children and their families, and by …

The Garda Commissioner has my full support and the full support of the Government. What am I doing? I want more gardaí. We all want more gardaí. I fully appreciate overtime is not the solution. I have increased the training allowance already by two thirds in the budget just gone. I have made sure that, when recruitment opens in January, those over 35 will be able to join. I am working with the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, to make sure Garda members due to retire soon, when they reach 60, can stay on for longer. I have…

I am very sorry.

I thank the Deputy for his question and for raising this issue. As a country of emigrants, we have always welcomed people into our country - those who wish to live, work and set down roots here. We have also welcomed and will continue to welcome those who seek our help and seek international protection be it those coming from Ukraine who are in receipt of temporary protection or international protection applicants. As a country we have seen a significant increase in those seeking protection in recent years. We have…

The very people the Deputy is speaking about, those who are marginalised in our community and those who are seeking international protection, are the very people that those thugs and scumbags on Thursday night sought to intimidate. The measures I am putting in place to support the Garda, be it more gardaí, better armour, better equipment, body cameras so that they can have a proper account of what is happening, facial recognition to make sure that these people are identified as quickly as possible-----

I am putting in place whatever the Garda needs to make sure that everybody - not just us, not just those who were born in this country but that every single person in this country - is protected, and that we support the Garda to do its job in that regard. I repeat that we have provided accommodation with 10,000 beds for international protection applicants in the last 11 months alone. Some 5,000 children in the last two years have been given accommodation. We will do whatever we can to protect those who need our sup…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I join her in condemning the actions of Hamas, which is a terrorist organisation that brutally murdered innocent civilians. I, too, call for a ceasefire. What we are seeing unfold in response to this brutal attack is devastating. I believe that Israel has gone too far. I have said time and again, and I think I join with all colleagues here, that they must respond within international and humanitarian law-----