Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

I have got his focus now and I thank him for that. I am not making personal criticisms, but I remind the Minister that it is on his watch that criminal activity is getting out of hand and a new generation is being trained, a generation that is growing up with contempt for the law and who is becoming more innovative in that regard. It has new ideas and is getting better at avoiding justice. Unless some action is taken soon to give some indication to the organised criminal gangs roaming this land that they cannot continue as they are, the price we will pay will be more serious than anything we have paid so far. One day, as has happened before, we will wake up to some major atrocity, the like of which we have not seen before, and action will be taken then when it will be too late. I do not purport to try to tell the Minister how to do his job, but that is the advice I would give him with regard to criminal activity. I know the Minister is aware of the issues, but I wonder when some action will be taken. I hope that the passage of this legislation will lead to action.

We have had more legislation in this area in the past number of years than ever before in the history of the State. We have had one Bill after the other to combat one crisis after the other. However, nothing has been achieved as a result. The strange thing is that most of the issues that were raised could have been handled without the new legislation because there was already adequate legislation in existence. I will never understand why we cannot see some action taken that will make a serious impact on the situation and restore public confidence in the institutions of the State and the ability of those institutions to deal with whatever happens, particularly with criminal activity as we experience it now. One lesson that must be learned is that all the legislation in the world will not replace enforcement. The enactment means nothing unless it is enforced fully. Unfortunately, much of the legislation passed in this House in recent years is not enforced and nobody has any regard for it. As a result, the whole situation is problematic.

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