Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

Unfortunately we live in a society that is experiencing ongoing crime on a large scale. I am delighted to see that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Brian Lenihan, is present. I congratulate him on his appointment. Those of us who have been here for a number of years have seen many criminal justice Bills going through the House. Despite that legislation, however, crime continues to be committed on a massive scale. We need to examine new ways of dealing with crime. We should not give the impression that the Legislature alone can solve the problem because it is a matter for every citizen. We must seek the co-operation of citizens in dealing with crime. Thomas Jefferson once asked "If the people are not fit to govern themselves, then who is?" That is a worthwhile quotation because it is for the people to decide.

Those of us whose children go into town at the weekend worry about whether they will return safely. That is no way to live. Without the co-operation of the community this problem will continue no matter how many laws we pass. We must get the message across that everybody is responsible, not just politicians. For example, recently in my constituency, two primary schools were vandalised throughout August. In one case €36,000 worth of damage was caused by gangs getting in through skylights, ripping out wiring and wrecking the interior. Some local residents told the principal that they had seen several teenagers gathering regularly on the flat roof of the school during the summer. Nobody thought of calling the Garda Síochána about the possibility that these people were up to no good and now gardaí are trying to find out who caused the damage. That is only one example of the public co-operation that is necessary.

I read recently that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has increased the on-the-spot fine for littering from €125 to €150. That will not deal with the litter problem. I read also that last year 27,000 fines were issued for littering, 12,000 of which were paid. An extra €25 will not solve this problem and public representatives regularly call on local authorities to provide adequate litter bins. Wherever I went during the election campaign people asked me to get more litter bins. Why do we not ask the manufacturers of products such as crisps, chewing gum and cigarettes to sponsor litter bins and take responsibility for educating the public with the message that littering is not acceptable? Why chase people for fines? We do not want fines, we want clean streets. We give the impression that increasing fines will solve a problem. If people continually litter the streets they should do community service, picking up the litter from the streets, instead of paying a fine.

The Garda spends hours trying to catch drivers speeding. Is this a money raising racket or is it genuinely trying to deal with speeding? We would be better off without speeding fines or penalty points because it would mean that people were obeying the law. People do not respect these laws because they do not see them as realistic.

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