Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response and ask him to elaborate on the following statement in his reply:

It is also unrealistic to expect the Garda Commissioner to devote his entire resources to protecting individually people who are routinely trying to avoid the Garda in order that they can continue to engage in criminal activity. Such an approach could only come at the expense of ordinary Garda activity to protect the community generally.

If there is a suspicion that someone may be shot, surely other persons in his or her vicinity will also be at risk? I will repeat my question and ask whether the Minister agrees that murder is murder. The Minister of State's reply did not give any of the Minister's thoughts on how the feud to which I referred could be prevented from spiralling out of control. We are aware of two killings related to this particular issue, both of which occurred in a small geographical area of my constituency. How can we prevent someone else being shot? Both of the recent killings took place in broad daylight. Such events do not take place in a civilised society and I do not want to see Garda tape about the place when I travel around my constituency.

I am not convinced by the reply the Minister of State gave. While I do not expect the Garda Commissioner to devote his entire resources to protecting those who are at risk of assassination, at the same time, we must understand the nature of these types of murder attempts and who could be hurt or potentially killed as a result of them.

The Minister of State addressed the issue of Garda resources. Does he agree that when people consistently attack Garda pay and conditions, which are covered by various agreements, they undermine Garda morale? How can we prevent young people from disadvantaged areas being sucked into a criminal way of life to pursue a perverse sense of empowerment?

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