Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

The Minister is introducing legislation, which I support, on gangs and the nuisance they cause to ordinary members of society. These are irresponsible people who annoy ordinary decent people who want to live their lives without any hassle. There comes a point where a person must be told by another that he or she has, say, seven days to deal with an issue or will be fined. I do not believe the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is in a position to deal with these types of issues.

Call it what one may, the Small Claims Court setting is an ideal venue for dealing with such matters. Members may be aware of the television programme "Judge Judy" which deals with disputes in ten minutes. The judge, having listened to the complaint, makes a judgment on the matter within ten minutes. Many issues arising in society today require to be addressed in that manner. I believe the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform is the ideal Department to deal with these matters.

The Minister is introducing legislation to deal with membership of a criminal gang. It is all very well for people to speak about civil rights but what about the rights of ordinary decent people who want to walk the streets and live their lives peacefully? There are times when simple matters require to be dealt with quickly. I urge the Minister to consider this matter. This provision can be extended not alone to include hedges but other matter.

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