Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am very pleased to contribute to the debate. I believe it is a very important step in our efforts to protect some of the most vulnerable people in our society. The grooming of children to participate or partake in crime is a serious issue that destroys countless lives and limits the untold potential of young people across the State and, therefore, I strongly support this legislation, which will allow authorities to bring justice to adults who groom children into a life of crime and those who seek to procure a child to commit a crime. The introduction of the Bill, on which I commend the Minister of State and his Department, fulfils a commitment in the programme for Government and is the latest measure the Government has introduced to modernise our legal system and laws. In doing so we bring our laws up to date with the world around us and the reality of criminality in modern Ireland.

Moreover, it addresses a problem that has long been overlooked in society. The number of children involved in criminality is alarming and a number of studies in recent years have reaffirmed this. Studies show that up to 1,000 children in Ireland are either involved in crime or at risk of being lured into criminal activity. We know from Garda figures that one in eight children participating in the Garda youth diversion programme has been groomed into criminal activity. The programme is of huge value to the entire community and young people that engage with it. I hope that with adequate resourcing, the programme can prevent crime and, in some cases, literally save lives. We also know for many of the children groomed into criminal activity this is done by a family member. A number of serious situations culminate to facilitate this. Studies show that catalysts for this include the normalisation of criminal behaviour, substance abuse, a family history of criminality and more. Furthermore, impacted children are also at exponentially higher risk of developing substance abuse and dropout of education, and mixed with a culture of fear and intimidation that accompanies criminal organisations and their participants can mean that children can feel as though they have no escape and no hope of a better life outside criminality. This is a situation in which no child should find themselves and those responsible for creating the circumstances in which a child is coerced or groomed into crime should be brought to justice and face severe consequences for their crimes. This also speaks to the wider societal problem that creates the necessary conditions for criminality to take root.

This covers a wide range of factors that will take time to remedy completely but stamping out crime in our communities requires building community bonds where residents feel a connection and a responsibility to their community. We need a society where individuals support each other rather than trying to push one another down and we need more local amenities and resources for young people so they have a place to go and engage in positive activities. I want to highlight the importance of resource allocation, training and individuals on the ground with individuals in An Garda Síochána and Tusla. It is always difficult, particularly when the economy is doing exceptionally well, to recruit individuals to An Garda Síochána and to entice sufficient numbers with the prerequisite skills into Tusla to support communities, particularly those ravaged by crime or drugs. While I appreciate that the Government has done a great deal in recent years, there are issues with recruitment and retention both in An Garda Síochána and Tusla. I ask the Minister of State and his colleagues to redouble their efforts to ensure there is adequate personnel to support communities and encourage young people to stay out of a life of crime.

However, as I said, very good work is being done both at governmental level and in local communities. With sufficient and adequate resourcing to support communities, they can go from strength to strength and they can turn the tide on organised crime groups and violence, and the fear and oppression that these individuals experience and that criminals engage with and the wider law-abiding citizens.

I very much look forward to the passage of the Bill and the implementation of the measures within it. I believe it will enhance the protection of vulnerable children and bring justice to some of those who feel above the law.

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