Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am telling the truth and one cannot be caught out for telling the truth. If other people told the truth, it might be a different country. I am saying that these people worked in collusion to close our Garda stations. I have no denying where I came out of, a place called the Bog Road in Kilgarvan. Up that road, we had a Garda station. It was closed and, over the past month, three houses have been broken into on that road. On my oath, it never before happened. Why were they not burgled before? Our local garda used to be up and down the road at odd hours and different times, such as 1 a.m or 1 p.m, doing his duty. The patrol car had to come up from Tralee and gardaí had to sign in to show they were in the locality and doing their rounds. That is all gone. Why is it gone? It is because the Government and this Minister closed the Garda stations. That is why crime is on the increase and it will continue to increase.

This is on the shoulders of the Labour Party and Fine Gael. Councillors from the Labour Party and Fine Gael up and down the country can answer to the people when they are knocking on the doors for local elections. They can say they supported the Government in closing down rural stations that people held so dear for many years.

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