David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Ms Flynn stated that it is important for us to remember that all these gangland criminals were once little babies in a cot oblivious to the degradation and depraved behaviour that surrounded them. Like all babies, they are dependent on their parents for love, attention and sustenance. She went on to talk about the parents being out drinking and so on, and the baby not getting appropriate attention. Later on, such a person may find a sense of identity and belonging within the gang on the streets. There is a sociological issue here and she speaks about the need for extra research. She spoke about gangs carving out territories, having access to lethal weapons and killing and torturing people and so on. She also mentioned youth workers. There is a lot of stuff in this. The key question is how much research is going on at the moment in this area. What needs to be done?