Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like the Minister of State to extend to the Minister for Justice and Equality an invitation from me to accompany me and representatives of the Dublin business associations to take a walk in Dublin city centre to see at first hand the issues that arise. I acknowledge that the Minister met some of the representatives but I believe that stepping on to the streets to see circumstances at first hand will go a long way towards informing everybody about the extent of the crisis.

I referred to recruitment. If we are to take anything from this debate today, it ought to be that there should be a stepping up in recruitment. Three hundred new recruits will not fill the gap but only increase the strength from 12,799 to above 13,000. Some 1,498 members of An Garda Síochána can retire today. What drives people mad is that over the years of the moratorium, which the Government presided over, recruitment to the Defence Forces continued. The Defence Forces were recruiting while there was no recruitment in An Garda Síochána. People cannot understand that and nor can I. It did not make sense.

Unfortunately in this town, much crime is linked to drugs. The Government has failed the businesses, communities and those who work in Dublin city centre by its failure to implement the national drugs strategy. There has been a huge failure on the part of the Government to live up to its responsibility. We need a dedicated Minister responsible for drugs who will prioritise in government the tackling of drug addiction and the fallout therefrom.

The increases in burglaries, pickpocketing and thefts against the person across this city and all the other crime can be linked to drugs. There are 10,000 people receiving methadone treatment in this city and not far from it. They are not receiving any rehabilitation or being put on any the avenues to get off drugs. That is a problem. They are involved in crime and repeat offending, all to feed their drug addiction. The Government needs to take seriously the lack of priority accorded to the national drugs strategy. This would tackle the root of the problem rather than trying to contain it with methadone and some of the associated treatments. The latter will not work. We have got to tackle the problem at the source.

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