Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am conscious that in my area there would have been a challenge in relation to the bus service. We have a bus forum that involves the Luas too. It is good for all of the different parties to be involved, such as people from the community, politicians, the Garda, the unions and management and so on. It is something that works, but it also helps focus those in the area regarding assaults or attacks on drivers. It is going on almost two decades now, but it is something that should be replicated. Similarly, this proposal has merits, but there is a challenge with regard to how figures are collated by the Garda. Maybe that is part of the problem, in that it is seen as just another workplace. I am conscious that gardaí are in and out of hospitals every day. They are dealing with issues of mental health, or bringing people in and so on. There is that rapport with the hospital. The last speaker asked a question about a possible rural and urban divide. I do not want to go into the idea that one hospital is worse than another, and naming that hospital. We are told, and we are all conscious that particularly at weekends if there is a lot of partying or whatever else, then some hospitals have difficulties. I am also conscious that there are feuds going on within communities. I think the hospitals and medical settings are a bit like schools. What happens in this community reflects what happens in the workplace. I am conscious that there have been feuds, some family feuds or criminal gang feuds. Those assaults must be terrifying for staff where the family of these members come in and assault people who in some cases have been shot or seriously injured. I am also conscious that there are medical settings where people do feel safe and secure. That is an important message to put out there.

There is another issue we have not touched on today and which I think we are all conscious of, namely racial abuse. The witnesses might also comment on that. Has a rise in the level of racial abuse been seen, particularly reflecting some things happening in society at the moment? We are not going to resolve this problem as a committee, but we might have another meeting on it and come up with some sort of improvement within the system. There are a number of issues raised today on which the committee can follow through. One that jumps out is the long Covid situation. We were promised that it was not going to be a cliff edge although that has clearly happened and there has been a lack of consultation.

There is a two-tier system regarding those who might possibly be assaulted and the level of care they receive. That is again something that can be looked at. The section 38 workers have been discussed in the past and the fact that it took three months for the HSE and the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to act. Maybe that can be raised at some stage at ministerial level, but the committee will also be looking for a written reply. I would be interested to see what they have to say about this racial abuse and attacks. It appears to us as politicians that it is much heightened and we need to do a lot more as a society to address it. We should not be relying on staff. It has to be a collective thing that we do as a society; if someone gets on a bus and engages in racial abuse they should be put off the bus. There should be a similar approach in any of our services including the health service. We must be more proactive in this area, as politicians, but also as community leaders. Would one of our witnesses like to comment on the racial abuse issue?