Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

I represent a community of north County Dublin traumatised by extreme brutality and obscene violence during the past couple of days and weeks. On 6 November a grenade exploded outside a house in Ridgewood Green, Swords, a matter I raised in the House at the time. Half an hour after that attack another grenade attack took place in Finglas. Last weekend two girls, aged four and six years, were sexually assaulted. To listen to the father of one of those girls is heart rending. He said they had a bad night with her last night. She was up until 4 a.m. She came in crying and said she was having bad dreams about the bold man. She said, "Sorry, Daddy, for causing any trouble." She was starting to blame herself. That is devastating to hear from a four year old child.

The parents in Swords and surrounding areas are living in fear. As if that was not enough to bear, Ms Babia Saulite, a 28 year old mother of two was murdered at her home in a contract killing on Sunday last at 10 p.m. while standing at her front door. There is speculation that an international criminal gang is involved. Can the Taoiseach appreciate not just the trauma affecting the families and neighbours in a community but also the additional burden placed on Garda resources? For every serious incident such as the Rachel O'Reilly murder or these more recent crimes, gardaí are pulled away from normal police work in the community. Meanwhile an area such as Fingal in north county Dublin, like many commuter belt communities, has seen a population explosion without the commensurate growth in facilities. In 2005 one in ten houses in the State was built in Fingal. Swords, traditionally referred to as a village, has a population the size of Waterford City. I am not asking the Taoiseach to comment on the investigation——

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