Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

The Government's proposals run counter to the central logic of the Children Act, which is regarded as setting a framework for a modern and progressive youth justice system reflecting best international practice. It took 30 years to produce that Act. This Bill is setting back the Act and undermining its central tenet. At this stage, we should not adopt any provisions which will undermine an Act which took so long to produce.

It would be popular in the community I represent and communities throughout the country to declare that we have the solution to anti-social behaviour and the problem of young thugs hanging around street corners. However, this is not the solution and it will not work. It runs counter to the direction we, as a society, wish to take.

I will be proven right in time, which is why I want a five-year period in which to prove that the Children Act, when fully resourced and implemented, will address the needs for which communities are crying out. These needs include fully resourced gardaí on the streets and responding to crimes in communities rather than providing a delayed response or signing passport forms, issuing dog licences and checking insurance details in Garda stations. Gardaí are fully trained and should be on the streets dealing with this issue and rebuilding community confidence. Communities that do not trust the Garda will have the proposed provisions, rather than the enlightened provisions of the Children Act, imposed on them, despite the fact that the latter would encourage greater co-operation from all sections of society with efforts to address social problems.

As we become more materialistic and both parents are forced into employment to try to create a quality of life for their families, children and the activities in which they engage are sometimes ignored, children's concerns are not addressed, people turn their backs on communities, and the spirit of volunteerism, which would allow society to address many of these issues, diminishes. The Government, in its approach, is failing communities, setting down a bad marker for the future of child justice and establishing a precedent which will exacerbate problems in this area and increase anti-social behaviour in communities. This provision will not improve the quality of life in the areas most affected by anti-social behaviour.

See this speech in context