Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Independent)

This Bill gives us an opportunity to examine the multifaceted area of crime. Crime has many contributory factors and must be examined more deeply than in the past. It is an area where resources, not just for the Garda, must be provided.

Education is a factor where resources need to be provided. Significant numbers of our young people are educated in classes which are unmanageable. In south Tipperary, a recent survey carried out by the INTO indicated approximately one third of primary schoolchildren were in classes of over 30 pupils. A significant number were in classes with over 35 pupils. Last week I was informed by parents of a second class in the St. Peter and Paul national school in Clonmel with 39 children. In a senior infants class in the same school, there are 35 children. These numbers are unmanageable. It is an early indication that difficulties will emerge if the education system cannot look after our young people.

Irrespective of what the Government has told us over the last several years, in real terms spending on education has fallen during the Government's term. Ireland is 19th of the 26 OECD countries in terms of spending in education. One reply we will always receive is that funding is a big problem and where can it be secured. In a reply to a parliamentary question last week, the Minister for Finance informed me that from 1998 to 2004, the budget surplus, that is income over day-to-day expenditure, was €34.5 billion. That does not indicate a lack of sources for funding. What has been done with this funding? It has largely been spent on roads, bridges and broadband and not on human services like education, health, social welfare and Garda resources. Every other half wealthy European country funds capital projects like roads, bridges and broadband out of capital expenditure, by borrowing. It makes good economic sense. Anything else is an anti-human policy, whereby we unnecessarily starve those human services such as education, health, social welfare, housing and Garda resources of money to build roads and bridges. We can borrow prudently, well within European guidelines, to build that infrastructure. The most important infrastructure in any country is a healthy, well-housed, well-educated population.

Arguments are made that previously we nearly bankrupted the country by borrowing. That did happen but it was because Fianna Fáil borrowed for ordinary expenditure and that is very different. I call on this Government to put the resources available in its huge surpluses, some €7 billion on the current account this year, into human services like health, education, housing, social welfare and Garda resources. Human beings need those services. If we want to rid society of criminality those services must be funded. We are in the happy position of being able to do that and build our infrastructure as well but for some reason this Government wants to fund capital expenditure out of current revenue. That is bad economics, bad social policy and anti-human.

After adopting the fundamental policy of putting resources into human services we should tackle crime properly by allocating specific Garda resources with particular facilities for certain areas. We were told there would be 2,000 additional gardaí in the programme for Government. This is 2005 and we have still not seen them. We will go into the next election without seeing them. There is no commitment on the part of this Government to put resources into the Garda Síochána. Until three years ago there were three gardaí in Fethard in my constituency. One retired on health grounds and was never replaced. In Clonmel, a town of 20,000 people with a hinterland of 10,000 more, there are 39 gardaí of all grades. Based on a 24 hour service the maximum on duty will be eight and that does not take into account sick leave or annual leave. There are approximately six gardaí on duty to serve a town of 20,000 and a hinterland of 10,000. Is anybody suggesting that level of Garda manpower is adequate to cover a town of that size? Nobody with common sense would suggest that was adequate.

From the point of view of resources, many towns have asked for closed circuit television. Clonmel looked for it four years ago. I raise it here on a regular basis as do my constituency colleagues and other local elected representatives. We get the usual reply that it is in the system and will be delivered once the funding is there. That funding might be in two, three or four years' time. Effectively there is no programme for rolling out closed circuit television.

The Garda radio system deters people from reporting crime. Constituents have told me they will not report something to the Garda because people can listen in to the system, so poor is it. They will know that Séamus Healy or someone else rang the gardaí. They would be targeted as a result. It is totally archaic and deters ordinary decent people from reporting crime.

Rural Garda stations such as in my area have also suffered from a reduction in personnel and resources over the years. The exact opposite has happened in the criminal fraternity. They have the resources to be available in Dublin or 100 or 200 miles from Dublin in a matter of hours. There are fewer Garda resources in rural areas than in the past. That has given rise to huge difficulties in local rural areas because gangs from the bigger cities and major towns raid those areas with impunity. The money is available to put proper resources into funding Garda Síochána and the facilities and equipment they require. This Government should make a decision to do that. I cannot understand why they do not do it.

I become frustrated by the subject of community gardaí as I and others have been pursuing the issue for a number of years. I recall a number of years ago going to Waterford city, and I have heard a Deputy extol the virtues of community gardaí in that city. The system available in Waterford worked well, as it liaised with local communities and young people. It spotted difficult young people at an early stage and brought them into line, ensuring they availed of various facilities available. It is a service that can break the cycle of crime.

In my constituency there are no dedicated community gardaí. The same is true for a number of other constituencies. I have spoken with the Garda Síochána locally, and they have, with the RAPID organisation which covers part of my constituency, along with local public representatives and local Members, recommended the appointment of community gardaí in south Tipperary. They have not had success. Indeed, there was a spectacle earlier this year when a superintendent from outside the constituency told the Minister that the area did not require community gardaí. I would like that superintendent to live in any of the major towns in my constituency, or other constituencies, and see for himself the requirement for community gardaí. There is no doubt in my mind that early intervention by gardaí dedicated to working in the community with local young people can do Trojan work in breaking the cycle of crime, particularly in larger towns and cities.

This leads to the area of anti-social behaviour, which I will briefly discuss. Community gardaí are essential if anti-social behaviour is to be dealt with. Nobody wants to highlight anti-social behaviour in his or her own town, street or State, but it exists, unfortunately. It occurs every weekend, and local people are being abused and threatened by small groups of people who could be dealt with by a combination of proper education, community gardaí and the provision of facilities within estates and communities. They would also be helped by proper architectural design of particular estates. We should look at the way estates were built in the past and are still being built to some extent. Input should be received from local community gardaí on the planning of estates.

I have addressed the issue of the inquiry into the tragic death of Brian Rossiter to the Minister in the past by means of parliamentary question and statement. The inquiry put in place by the Minister is inadequate in dealing with that case. Everybody involved, including the Garda, would like to see a fully comprehensive and transparent inquiry, set up properly under recent legislation. It should have extended terms of reference to ensure the tragic situation is properly dealt with, properly reported, and the report made widely available to the public in order to clear the air of the tragic occurrence in Clonmel.

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