Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

I am sure the Minister will agree that in some cases producing graffiti can be a legitimate form of artistic, political and cultural expression, but in many, if not most, cases, it is an act of downright vandalism that diminishes the community where it is committed.

Does the Minister accept that it is not enough simply to undertake a clean-up or ongoing maintenance without addressing the underlying causes of graffiti? Does he accept that we need more community policing on the ground and greater provision of amenities for young people? Will he consider prioritising for attention some of the fine stone and brick buildings defaced in recent years? There was a trend in years gone by to tackle concrete walls or the rear of buildings, but more recently we have seen fine protected structures and other buildings being destroyed by the worst kind of graffiti. Will the Minister ensure that priority is given to stone and brick buildings at risk of being defaced?

The fundamental point is this. Will the Minister accept that we must not simply undertake a clean-up but also work much more strongly with young people through community policing, using gardaí on bicycles and other measures, and provide amenities for them? I am very familiar with an area in my constituency that has seen a veritable explosion of graffiti. There is no swimming pool for miles and although there is a leisure centre, it does not have sufficient resources to cope with the young population locally. We need significant investment in providing amenities for young people as well as cleaning up the graffiti.

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