Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

While I do not have the detailed timelines in front of me, I think the Commissioner would have responded to this. It is not the case that there was no response until 7 p.m. A public order unit was on-site pretty much immediately after the assault happened that Thursday. Very soon after that another unit was brought in. Then there were many more requests, not just within the Dublin region but beyond, for those with training in public order. Obviously, it takes time for people to mobilise. Some went to Santry and others came from different areas, so it took time. The full complement was there between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., but I do not have the exact times. As I said, I think the Commissioner responded to this.

There are always lessons to be learned, whether it is a small or a large incident. There have to be ways in which we can improve our response and see how we can do things differently and what more we need and what we did not have. The Garda Commissioner is already doing this regarding what equipment and further training we need.

I received an initial report outlining what happened on the day and the response to it. A larger report is being worked on by one of the assistant commissioners but I do not have that yet. Lessons will be learned about the Garda response and how we deal with such a situation if it arises again. Obviously, we hope that it will not.

On the policing of the far right, as I said to Deputy Costello, gardaí have been aware of this issue for some time, not just in recent weeks or months. They have ways in which their specialised teams monitor this type of behaviour. They monitor engagement not just with people here but with other groups in the UK and the EU.