Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

I move:

"That Dáil Éireann:

deplores:

the murder of an innocent victim in Limerick by gangland criminals last week making him the 17th gangland murder victim this year;

the failure of the criminal justice system to secure convictions in 113 of the 127 gangland killings that have taken place since 1998;

the failure of the criminal justice system in respect of the almost 30,000 outstanding bench warrants that have yet to be executed;

the failure of the Government to cut off the source of gangland criminals' wealth and weapons, namely drugs, by failing to resource adequately the Garda Síochána and the Customs and Excise Service with the necessary manpower and modern equipment;

the Government's proposed reduction in trainee intake into the Garda Síochána;

the fact that gangland criminals are able to continue to carry out criminal activity from within the State's prisons;

the failure of the Government to address matters essential to the administration of justice such as the admissibility of video evidence in court; and

the failure of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to maintain confidence and stability in the criminal justice system and further condemns the Government for its consistent failure to take definitive action or steps to quell gangland criminal activities;

and calls on the Government immediately to:

recognise that it has failed to prevent the escalation in gangland activity to such an extent that criminal gangs have become a threat to the State;

restore public confidence in the criminal justice system by committing itself to the enforcement of statutes aimed at addressing activity by criminal gangs;

address the serious matter whereby almost 30,000 bench warrants remain outstanding;

apportion additional resources to the Garda Síochána and the Customs and Excise Service to ensure that the myriad of loopholes at ports, smaller airports and along the coast are addressed as well as in local communities;

bring forward measures to allow for the admissibility of video evidence in court;

introduce reform to protect the identities of witnesses at identification parade;

establish the Judicial Sentencing Commission;

ensure that Oireachtas provisions in respect of mandatory minimal sentencing are implemented;

reverse the cut in funding to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions which will make it impossible for the office to process its workload efficiently;

deliver upon commitments to provide digital radio to all gardaí;

expedite legislation to allow for the introduction of a DNA database;

expand and enhance the Garda Emergency Response Unit and the Criminal Assets Bureau;

deliver on commitments in respect of Community Gardaí throughout the country; and

adopt a co-ordinated approach to tackling criminal gangs which exercise an unacceptable level of control and authority in communities throughout the country."

I wish to share time with Deputies Lucinda Creighton, John Perry, Jimmy Deenihan and Andrew Doyle.

See this speech in context