Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)

I raised the issue of attacks on members of the emergency services, particularly gardaí, a number of months ago. I asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if it was his intention to introduce special legislation to afford protection to people in the emergency services, who are being attacked in the course of their duty, and to sufficiently penalise and punish the perpetrators of those attacks? Given that on Monday night in the city five members of the Garda Síochána were admitted to hospital following such attacks and one was penned to a wall by a jeep and narrowly escaped serious injury or death, will the Minister give a commitment that he will keep the situation under review? Given what happened during the past week has the Government any plans to introduce legislation?

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