Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)

The title of this debate is stark: statements on the killing of Shane Geoghegan. I do not think anybody who knew Shane Geoghegan could have expected that he would feature as the centre of a Dáil debate, but sadly he has. He was killed despite the fact he was going about his ordinary business. He was not known to the gardaí, which is a phrase used frequently concerning some people who are killed. Shane was an ordinary decent citizen and he is sadly mourned by his mother Mary, father Tom, brother Anthony, girlfriend Jenna and his many relations and friends, including his clubmates in Garryowen rugby club. I wish to extend my sympathy to all of those people. I attended his funeral yesterday and the words on everybody's lips were "Please do something". I ask the Minister to do something. The House is united in asking that something should be done to protect all the other citizens who could have been Shane Geoghegan in that situation going about their business. The gardaí know who the perpetrators are, they know what they have done and what they are doing. People want us to do whatever is necessary to smash these gangs, take away their power and put them behind bars where they belong.

Many suggestions have been made by the Government and Opposition, but whatever the problems are they need to be solved. Is it the case, as Deputy Charles Flanagan suggested, that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions does not have enough money? If that is the reason why the Central Criminal Court is not used more often in such cases, although I do not know if that is so, then let us find the money needed for the DPP's office.

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