Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

I had an idea the Taoiseach would say operational matters were someone else's problem. I recall him declaring an interest in the writings of Mr. Putnam in his book Bowling Alone and how community values and building communities was an area in which he had an interest. The evidence, however, is exactly the opposite. That is the reason I ask what he will do given that he has declared an interest in building communities. Having sufficient gardaí on the streets is part of that. Waterford city has three Garda stations. An area of the same population size in Swords has one Garda station which also covers Donabate and Portrane. Waterford city has 21 primary schools while Swords has less than half that number and no secondary school in Donabate. Waterford city has a FÁS training centre while Swords has none. Waterford city has three local development agencies while Swords has none. Waterford city has three full-time public libraries, while Swords has one. Waterford city has nine community centres, while Swords has just two.

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