Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 on the following specific important matter of public interest requiring urgent consideration, namely, the urgent need for the Government to guarantee the future of the "dial to stop drug dealing" non-Garda confidential phone line, which may cease to operate imminently despite its success in generating intelligence tip-offs from the community that have contributed to Garda investigations; more than 1,400 calls have been made to the centre resulting in approximately 370 information reports being passed to the Garda. Just €300,000 in funding was allocated for 2009 to cover both public advertising and the price of calls and the Minister has confirmed that the more calls it receives, the more successful it is, and the earlier the problem will disappear. This low-cost and successful initiative is being cut in the context of very real community fear as regards the reporting of drug related crimes perpetuated by Garda corruption, as evidenced in the Boylan case broadcast on RTE's "Prime Time" last night, and despite the very high human and economic costs of drug-related crime.

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