Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister knows because we share the same constituency, Clondalkin is a vibrant and thriving part of our city. As a community, we take great pride in who we are and where we live. Across all sections of the community, people are working hard to make Clondalkin a better place in which to live and work.

Unfortunately, however, as Deputy McDonald outlined, Clondalkin has experienced a disproportionate level of gun and drug-related crime. Some of it has hit the headlines, including recent shootings and gun attacks on local businesses, but much of the gun and drug-related crime does not make the newspapers at all, although it still has a major effect on local communities. Whatever else we may disagree about, it is important for us to state clearly that the small minority of people involved in these activities do not represent the communities we serve. They are not supported by the overwhelming majority of people in those communities, and their actions must stop.

Our communities are not just being undermined by those involved in gun and drug crime; they have also been undermined by successive governments. The Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael parties have failed to invest in the services and supports needed to tackle the causes of gun and drug crime. They have failed to stand by the people of Clondalkin or to provide the necessary resources to make our communities safer. Deputy Niall Collins and the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, talk tough on crime and promise ever more draconian criminal courts, but that is no substitute for investing in front-line policing and social and economic regeneration of our most deprived communities.

The report of the first ministerial task force on drugs was published 20 years ago by the former Minister, Pat Rabbitte. It is a very important document which highlighted the link between drugs, crime, poverty and socio-economic deprivation. Those elements were absent from the contributions both of Deputy Niall Collins and the Minister. The report named Clondalkin, among other areas, as among the worst affected by drugs at that stage. It called for increased investment not only in front-line policing, but also in education, treatment and prevention.

Twenty years later, the Clondalkin drugs task force published a report only last week entitled Outcomes: drugs harm, policy harms, poverty and inequality. The report is a damning indictment of the 20 years of governments led by the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael parties and their failure to stand by the community I represent. The report states that despite huge efforts by local community workers, addiction counsellors and other key workers, community gardaí, teachers, sports coaches and residents, things are getting worse.

One third of the population in the Clondalkin drugs task force area live at risk of poverty. Some 50% of children in key areas leave school at junior certificate level, while one in three of many of those children leave school unable to read or write adequately. As the Minister knows, unemployment in some estates is as high as 45%. We can see a growing influx of these young marginalised people who are attracted into the drugs trade because they are unable to access status or advancement in mainstream society.

The Minister talks of increased investment in the Garda Síochána, which is absolutely crucial, although she withdrew such investment as did the Fianna Fáil Party when in office. However, increased investment is also required for drugs task forces whose funding in Clondalkin, for example, has been cut by up to 45%. Funding was also cut by 50% to 100% for the community safety and development forums. Over the past 20 years, both the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael parties have consistently left young people behind due to a lack of investment in social and economic opportunities.

I am deeply disappointed by the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, who has failed the constituency she represents. One in three children there have difficulty reading and writing, while half of them are leaving school at junior certificate level. Some 45% of households have no jobs. Unless the Minister tackles that, she will not tackle the scourge of drug and gun crime in the constituency of Dublin Mid-West or across the country. Until I hear something different from her than I heard today, I am afraid that things are going to get worse, not better.

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