Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

In the words of Donna Cleary's family, she was not in the wrong place at the wrong time. She was a young mother enjoying herself at a friend's party. She was gunned down by a criminal who should have been in jail. No one has explained why this man was not in jail. He had a conviction, lost his appeal and there was a bench warrant for his arrest. The Government did not supply the resources to the Garda to implement the bench warrant. If it had been implemented, Donna Cleary would be alive. The fundamental point is that this Government is in a shambles while anarchy rules the streets.

On Monday, the Taoiseach said that murderers were getting out of prison after seven years. On Tuesday, he said murderers used to get out of prison after seven years and that a life sentence should mean life. Today, he says it is the fault of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The Minister is like a modern Pontius Pilate, washing his hands of all responsibility and blaming everyone from the Judiciary to society to the House. Will the Tánaiste explain why the Minister has failed to introduce legislation on gun culture, which he correctly identified last year as being a serious issue? Where are the mandatory sentences for gun crime? Where is the amnesty for guns? Why was this criminal walking the streets when he should have been in jail and there was a bench warrant for his arrest?

I ask the Tánaiste to instruct the Minister to gather the details of the Criminal Justice Bill in so far as gun culture is concerned and present them to the House next week. We will facilitate the Government in putting through real, deterrent emergency legislation dealing with gun culture. We could enact this law in a very short time. It is a reasonable and practical suggestion that will send a clear message to people in this city who can leave a house and, in 20 minutes, have a loaded gun, fire it indiscriminately at a house and murder an innocent woman.

I recall times in the House when, on issues of much less import than this, the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism sitting beside the Tánaiste was in apoplexy.

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