Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)

I will ask specific questions. Does the Minister accept that the main source of gun crime is drugs? How can he explain the fact that the Garda National Drugs Unit has not seen an increase in manpower since 1995? Despite what the Minister says, not including administrative staff, there are 35 operational gardaí in the unit which is under strength at the moment by two sergeants and ten gardaí. Those running the unit have consistently sought to have these vacancies filled and have consistently been refused. Does he not accept that local drug units throughout the country largely deal with low-level drug crime, while the only unit with the expertise and experience to tackle the problem, the Garda national drugs unit, is the most under-resourced and ignored unit in the entire Garda force?

As I have asked the Minister on many occasions, is it not time the Criminal Assets Bureau had local and regional operatives in the areas of this city and country suffering from serious drug crime? This would at last allow the bureau pursue drug dealers at all levels, as it was set up to do and has never done.

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