Paula Butterly (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

A lot of what has been spoken about today is about addressing issues after they have happened. I will give my thoughts on this. We have established task forces or committees on a cross-departmental basis. I am very conscious that on the ground there are children coming into crime at an earlier and earlier stage. There is an element of intergenerational crime starting to happen. Maybe it is within the figures somewhere, but I have seen very little for crime prevention in the same way we have home liaison officers from the Department of education. A task force could bring together the different Departments to tackle the issue. There is a lot to be said about disadvantaged areas and child poverty. The shiny toy and the shiny button might make them think in some cases that crime might pay when it does not. Is there something that would address that issue at an early intervention stage?