Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

The Minister has spent the bulk of the last 45 minutes dealing with a High Court judgment on legally held firearms and informing us of his ban. There may well be merits in that policy and I look forward to the debate on it. Has he got evidence that the members of the notorious inner-city gangs or the Keane-Collopys and McCarthy-Dundons in Limerick apply for handgun licences in the District Court and then go out and kill people? I do not think that he does. Are we missing the main point here?

In conclusion, I wish to draw the Minister's attention to the number of juvenile liaison officers, which is a fact that needs to be addressed. Juvenile liaison officers assist in providing a service to teenagers who may be about to start a life of anti-social behaviour, or worse. While I accept the Minister's claim that the Garda has more than 14,000 members, I remind him that it has a mere 100 juvenile liaison officers. I suggest that there should be a greater concentration of juvenile liaison officers within the force, particularly in areas affected by high levels of anti-social behaviour. Juvenile liaison officers are effective in those areas where they are working. I ask the Minister to discuss this matter with the Garda authorities the next time he meets them.

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