Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join with Senator Darragh O'Brien in sympathising with the family who lost a loved one this morning in very violent circumstances. I support the call for a debate on gun crime. The number of violent deaths in Dublin is increasingly worrying, as is the number of firearms being used in robberies down the country. Gangs, many of whom originate in Dublin, come down the country and terrorise vulnerable people in their homes and businesses.

I congratulate the gardaí in Galway who over the weekend apprehended a group, mainly from Dublin, who had carried out a significant number of robberies in the west in recent days. It is good to see that at least some of them have been taken out of circulation. We need a debate in this House on crime, particularly serious crime involving firearms.

We all received in the post this morning a timely reminder from Retailers Against Smuggling pointing out the huge loss to our economy from laundered fuel and smuggled cigarettes. It is estimated that this costs the economy in the region of €390 million a year. This money funds organised and serious crime and probably extends into the drugs trade. Approximately 300 million litres of fuel are laundered every year at a cost of €140 million to the Exchequer. The illegal cigarette trade costs in the region of €250 million per year. This is very significant. We need a debate with the Minister for Justice and Equality on criminality and, if we get the opportunity, with the Minister for Finance about the significant loss of revenue to the Exchequer.