Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)

Money is being spent on things that are not really to the benefit of society. It should not be spent on punishing people to cure problems that relate to a lack of social services in an area. The justice system is there to provide that. It is absolutely essential that gardaí are provided in both rural and urban areas, but with rural depopulation, people have moved into the larger centres and urban areas have increased dramatically without an increase in Garda numbers. Rural areas are being deprived of essential services such as Garda stations, which are necessary for the fabric of an area. There was a great camaraderie in rural areas when everyone knew the local garda, as well as a great respect for the law. Locals could always identify the garda as a friend, but people now only meet gardaí when trouble arises so they form a perception that the gardaí mean trouble. Anti-social behaviour orders will compound this. A much better approach would be a contract with a person to behave in a certain way, rather than criminalising the person.

The value of the Garda in the community cannot be over-emphasised. We have seen too often that this has not happened. Other services in rural areas include housing. Many people come to my clinics looking for housing which is just not available. There are many voluntary housing associations that could provide these houses. Living in hostels is not conducive to any type of stable family life. This problem has been compounded in urban areas where so many people are homeless, particularly single people. There is no reason the voluntary sector could not get involved in this. I do not know why the Government always favours anything to do with those who make profit. Unless someone in the private sector is making money out a service, the Government does not seem to favour the service. There is a great resource of people in the community. The voluntary effort has been exemplified by the group water schemes, put together by people all over Ireland. It shows the value and potential of community.

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