Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Will the Minister consider a number of proposals, to which she might respond if she gets the opportunity? I acknowledge that she has to strengthen the law and that she is taking some measures in respect of that, but they do not go far enough. My party has submitted proposals regarding, for example, mandatory sentencing for those who assault elderly people or who engage repeatedly in burglary. A small number of people carry out a large proportion of the burglaries, so there will not be a prison capacity problem. In regard to the many public meetings taking place throughout the country, what is the Minister's view on a proposal from the meeting in the Anner Hotel in Tipperary to tag people who are on bail and who have multiple convictions, particularly for burglary? Also arising from such meetings, what is her view on the allegation that free legal aid favours the criminal too much, given the constitutionality of people's right to a fair trial? Could she also speak about the requirement for closed circuit television cameras on motorway junctions and the proposal for a national directorate to co-ordinate the IFA, which has hired its own crime prevention officer, Muintir na Tíre, the neighbourhood watch schemes, and all the other voluntary organisations?

See this speech in context