Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I thank the Chairman for giving me the opportunity to speak. I welcome Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Carey here and even though I was not physically here when they started talking I was listening to them on the monitor in my office and I agree with everything they have said. There has been an increase in rural crime and where I come from we all agree that the closure of Garda stations, lack of squad cars and the lack of visibility of and availability of the local gardaí has led to this. That is fine where we have it and it is not fine where we do not have it but I will go back to my home place of Kilgarvan. Even though there was only one garda in the local station for many years there was a lot of activity there and people knew that the Garda were around. There is no problem with me mentioning that the name of the last garda who was there was Garda Tom McDonnell and he was in our parish for about 40 years. People did not know when he would arrive because he was in his own car and he was around the place calling to people. He interacted with people and he had his own sources of information.

He knew everything that was going on in the parish. That is all lost to us now.

A place like Sneem, half an hour from Kenmare, is an hour and a quarter away from Killarney. If the Garda car in Kenmare is out, people in Sneem will have to ring Killarney if something happens. The phone is helping criminals. The fellow in Kenmare knows which way the Garda car has gone and he can ring the fellow who is near to Sneem or wherever else. Sneem is a sitting duck, as is Lauragh, which is 16 miles from the town of Kenmare where the Garda station was, and 32 miles from Castletownbere. If the Garda car in Kenmare is in use on a task, the road back to Castletownbere is wide open.

What we need to get across is how an elderly person is affected when his or her home is broken into and ransacked. In the case of two fine gentleman living very near to where Deputy O'Callaghan's father came from, their house was broken into on a Sunday while they were at mass. They were always confident and still work hard but their confidence is totally shattered because none of those who broke into their house has been found. The house of two other gentlemen living close by was also broken into lately. They will not stay in their own home at night. They have to go down the road to their niece's house, which is crowded, but their confidence is gone and they will not stay in their house any more. We all hear about the increase in Garda numbers but we worry that these gardaí will be directed to urban areas. I met a man the other day who said he got home heating oil and he asked if he should lock the tank. We decided that if people are going to take his oil, they will do so. He is resigned to having his heating oil stolen and he will be lucky if it is not stolen before Christmas.

Sentences and penalties are wrong too. Criminals are not being penalised and I know Mr. Kennedy will agree with me. Many of the those who are apprehended have done it before. They may be out on bail and it is no bother since they will get free legal aid. These fellows should be just locked up and the key thrown away if they are serial offenders. I have made that point in the Chamber. They have such an effect on elderly people and the community around them.

I am thankful to the Irish Farmers Association for sending these two gentlemen here today. I do not agree with Deputy Daly that we are whipping up fear or anything like that. We do not have to do that. People in rural areas are suffering because of the reduction in the number of gardaí available in rural places. We are looking for an extra car in Kenmare but that is not good enough. In Kilgarvan, Sneem and Lauragh, there was a garda with his own car. That is no longer the case and the criminals know too well where everyone is and they are ready to pounce when they know the gardaí on duty have gone in another direction.