Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)

I wish to share my time with Deputy Joan Collins. Many debates in this House are on the big issues, the macro issues, so it is good to deal with a matter which has a direct impact on people's lives, both in rural and urban areas. The Minister says this Bill provides a useful opportunity to discuss the issues and that he regards it as an earnest attempt to deal with the issues. However, in my view, the Friday morning sittings of the House must go further than this; otherwise, they become a talking shop and no matter what is introduced on one side will not be supported on the other side. There is a need for action to come out of these morning sittings rather than one side against the other.

Farms, building sites, churches, clubs and homes have been targeted for metal because it is very easy to turn that metal into very lucrative cash situations. This Bill would apply to certain businesses the strict control which applies to practically every other business. Rural areas are particularly vulnerable. Farms, in particular those in isolated places, are a prime target. The one part of Ireland I know very well is west Cork and it has been a particular target for these gangs. We have seen the extent of the scrap metal, gold and machinery which has been stolen. I do not know the answer but are there links to the closure of the rural Garda stations? Bronze, copper and stainless steel are the metals which are being targeted because there are high financial rewards for the gangs and very nice profits to be melted down. It is extremely easy for them which is part of the problem. The gangs are well organised. They have cutting equipment and transport and they know what they are doing and what they can get away with, which is the key point.

I refer to the various attacks on the arts, and examples were given this morning and the media have covered them. People have spent much time producing these works of sculpture suddenly to find to their absolute amazement and horror that they have been taken. The bronze Gráinne Óg statue, which weighed 1 tonne, was taken from a location near Moate in Deputy Bannon's constituency. Another 1,000 kg, 3 m tall bronze statue was taken from County Kildare while another statue was taken from Rathmore in County Kerry. I refer to the extreme poignancy of the one mentioned in County Laois. People raised funds to erect a 10 ft bronze, copper and brass statue in memory of 30 young people who had died in tragic circumstances. Those statues were targeted and taken because people could get away with it and make nice profits.

There is also a very lucrative trade in copper wire from the theft of overhead telephone cables. We know of steel gates being stolen from railway level crossings. The other particularly nasty theft, which Deputy Catherine Murphy mentioned earlier, was that of slides from playgrounds. Imagine taking slides from playgrounds, which are funded by local authorities whose funding is being cut. The children are being left without them and they must be replaced.

I turn to the city areas and cash for gold, although I know it is not particular to these areas. There is no doubt but that this was rampant throughout Dublin Central, which I represent. The issue of cash for gold came up at meeting after meeting. A particularly significant aspect of it was the way local authorities allowed their premises to be used as venues for cash for gold but eventually, via the policing forum, that was disallowed. I also believe there was a connection between the increase in burglaries in those areas and the cash for gold businesses and the availability of drugs, and we know how serious an issue that is.

What Deputy Mattie McGrath is doing in this Bill is very practical and he has come up with very definite suggestions. One of the main ones is that there should be no cash transactions and that there is always a paper trail. That should be fairly easy to bring in. The use of CCTV has also been mentioned. Scrap metal companies should be obliged to look for proof of where the material has come from because there are situations in which the black economy is being contributed to and this is a very lucrative area for the black economy. I do not believe there is any targeting of legitimate jewellery and antique businesses, which the Minister mentioned.

The Minister referred to critical matters for which the Bill does not make provision. I hope that when it reaches the next Stage, those provisions will be included so the reasons Deputy Mattie McGrath brought this Bill to the House will be taken care of.

The Minister also mentioned the aspects involving An Garda Síochána and said there is a requirement to carefully examine the resource implications of any proposed roles envisaged for An Garda Síochána in any new regulatory matters because it is not practical to tie up valuable Garda time and resources with registration issues more appropriate to another body. An Garda Síochána has been given various bureaucratic jobs, such as signing passport forms, which it could well do without and put its time to better use. The Minister also made the point that the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána indicated no identifiable increase in crime as a result of the increase of cash for gold trading but I have to dispute that. I have sat at various community meetings in Dublin Central and at all of those meetings, the point was made that there was an increase in crime. The Commissioner also informed the Minister that cash for gold premises are all visited by the Garda Síochána. Again, I find that very difficult to believe. The Minister made the point that there is a case for tighter requirements, specifically in that sector, focused on the identification of those offering items for sale. There are aspects in Deputy Mattie McGrath's Bill which would cover all of those points.

To go back to the point I made initially, the Friday sitting must be looked at, so it is not just a discussion for the sake of it.

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