Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)

I wish to ascertain the additional burden on the Garda and whether it was fully evaluated. Clearly considerable time will be spent on tracking, as was the case in the UK where much administration of ASBOs is involved. Many of the activities that are the subject of ASBOs relate to criminal rather than anti-social behaviour. Breaking up bus shelters, phone boxes etc. is rightly within the remit of the Garda. Before I was elected to this House I was critical of us having many laws without the ability to put them into practice because of resource issues or failure to think out the practical elements of applying the law. What evaluation was done on the application of such orders prior to the introduction of legislation? Is it a case of introducing legislation and then discovering how it pans out? I am concerned that we might divert gardaí from activities like community policing and areas where they are most visible. We will spread the resources even more thinly because they will have to deal with even more administration. What resource implications were considered prior to the introduction of the legislation?

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