Ms Anna Quigley:

Deputy McGrath has given a good summary. Part of the challenge with this is that we all name the big picture issues and the need for broad action around education, disadvantage and policing. While we have to state that, in order to get past the sense of this being such a big issue and how are we going to make a difference and how we can help people now, we definitely have to say they are the overall objectives we are working towards, but we need to identify the practical steps we can take now that will move us towards them.

We always talk about poverty, disadvantage and education, and people say that is all very well but it will not happen overnight. The Deputy is right in saying they are the underlying causes and that they need to be addressed. However, we need to identify practical steps we can take in the meantime. In terms of policing, the community policing forums on the ground are really important. That kind of day-to-day low-key stuff is very important. The community policing forums act as an intermediary between the community and the Garda.

Sometimes, however, when people go to a local policing forum or use the reporting system or the family support network, they will not get a solution. The drug debt will not be written off and whoever wants the money will not go away. However, the first step is to have a place where somebody supports them in the process, which breaks down the isolation. I referred to the audit. The first step must be to get people from a place in which they are dealing with this in isolation and feeling powerless to a space in which, at least, people in the community are coming together and deciding that they are not powerless and there are things they can do. The community policing forum is a very practical place where this happens, and it is crucial, as are local community services where people come together. Anything that keeps people in isolation is very damaging, so we need to have supports in place for people as a first step.

Youth services are already in existence and doing this work. There are big questions with regard to resources, but they are already doing the work. Much of what is already happening forms part of the steps needed to improve the situation, but it goes without saying that it is all under-resourced. The challenge for us is how to combine an understanding of the broad change needed in our communities if we are to seriously address the issue with the taking of practical steps. The practical steps are based on measures that are already being taken in our communities but which, unfortunately, instead of being supported and developed over the past two years, have been undermined. These include community policing forums, local community organisations and youth services. They are all there, but they do not receive the support they need to do the level of work needed. I cannot emphasise enough that to break the silence there need to be places in communities where people who experience this type of intimidation and difficulty know there is support available. This is a crucial first step. Long-term, we must tackle the broader issues of education, employment and disadvantage.