I accept what the Deputy said about the season starting earlier and earlier each year, which is regrettable. That is true of the community in which I live, which is a rural part of Limerick. Some elderly neighbours were very put out by it. Under Operation Tombola, the Garda has carried out 1,218 fireworks seizures to an estimated value of €225,000. These seizures have undoubtedly contributed to reducing the harm associated with the illegal use of fireworks. The penalties for importing, selling or using unlicensed f…

I would like to make the point to the Deputy that we are in the process of establishing local community safety partnerships throughout the country. That is a step up or ramping up of the former joint policing committees. I know the Deputy is aware that 36 community safety partnerships will be stood up. They are in the process. Some are up and running and some have had their first meeting. Many of the local authorities are in the process of finally pulling together and populating them. They will have broader stakeho…

On behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, I thank Deputy McGrath for submitting this Topical Issue and acknowledge the concerns raised in relation to the very serious issue of drink spiking. Spiking is a crime that preys on vulnerability, that undermines consent and that can have devastating consequences for victims. The Government is committed to taking a zero-tolerance approach to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. The final implementation plan for the third national zero-tolerance strategy on domes…

Again, I thank the Deputy for raising what is a very serious issue. I acknowledge that the incident in question was very serious for the person and family on whose behalf he is raising this matter. Combating and eradicating sexual and gender-based violence is one of our core priorities. The programme for Government reaffirms our commitment to introducing stronger laws to combat the spiking of drinks. This is a specific and targeted commitment to protect people, particularly in the night-time economy, and to ensure …

I am responding on behalf of the Minister for justice to the issue that was raised. We in Ireland are lucky to have a police service in An Garda Síochána that has widespread community support that has been hard earned over decades of service to the State and to our people. The common refrain from the public is that they want more gardaí in their community and on their streets. This is certainly not the case in many other jurisdictions in the world. This is because An Garda Síochána undertakes an important role in u…

That is not true.

That is not true.

It is not true.

That is not true.

What about locking down the city and the tunnel?

The Dublin Port tunnel.

You see, the Deputy tries to own the argument every way. She does not have a monopoly on concern for the Palestinians. I have been to the Middle East. I have been to Palestine and to Ramallah and Hebron. I have walked the streets of East Jerusalem. I have been to the settler communities and seen the impact those have on the people of Palestine. The Deputy does not have a monopoly on concern for the Palestinians. She likes to present that she has a monopoly on it. The protestors do not have a monopoly on it. This Go…

You cannot have it both ways. You want to have it both ways. The Deputy thinks we can just lock down Dublin city centre every single day of the week.

That is what the Deputy is saying, because if it is okay once, then it is okay twice. Where does it go from there then? The Garda was right and acted completely correctly in my view.

I have seen the video and I will support every single member of An Garda Síochána who policed that event because they were looking out for the hundreds of thousands of people around this city and region who-----

-----have an absolutely right go about their business and use the public roads to get on with their business, get home to their families, do their day-to-day activities, get to work, get home, rear their children and bring their kids to their clubs and their sports. The Deputy, though, seems to think that locking down Dublin is acceptable.

No, it is not. People are absolutely entitled to protest. Nobody disputes that. The Deputy, though, wants to elevate it and bring it to a place where it actually discredits what they are protesting for, and that is regrettable.

This record justice budget of over €6 billion reflects our strong commitment to build safe and secure communities. Youth justice has a crucial role to play in this. The significant increase of €7.3 million in youth justice funding which I have secured is a 22% increase and enables us to achieve comprehensive nationwide coverage of our network of youth diversion projects for the first time ever. The importance of this should not be understated. Youth diversion projects are on the front line. They tackle directly the…

I thank Deputy Gogarty for raising this issue, acknowledge the contributions of all speakers and reiterate that the Government is not opposing this motion. There has been significant interest in this motion and it is an area we take very seriously. We are all in agreement about the need to address the root causes and impact of antisocial behaviour. The harm this behaviour causes communities can be significant. As Minister of State with responsibility for international law, law reform and youth justice, I am committ…

It is not a secret.