Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday, the Taoiseach indicated that a briefing would be provided for other political leaders in respect of the Tánaiste's meeting with the Garda Commissioner. Can she please indicate when that meeting is scheduled to occur?

Can she also give us a sense of the proposed terms of reference, or even the process she envisages, for establishing a task force for the north inner city? The Tánaiste will recall that I raised this matter with her some weeks ago. We now need to know how precisely she proposes to go about establishing that and what input local stakeholders and communities will have in that process.

I also understand that the Taoiseach is to visit the north inner city. Can the Tánaiste tell the House when that visit is scheduled as well as any other information or details she has on the matter?

I welcome the fact that the Tánaiste proposes to strengthen the legislation underpinning the Criminal Assets Bureau and local CAB functions, including asset profilers. I have no doubt the ambition is to disrupt drug dealing activities in the north inner city and elsewhere. The truth is, however, that such activities are carried on undisrupted across the north inner city and beyond.

I also wish to raise the issue of the Dáil recess.

The date of 7 July has been floated. It seems this came out of a Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting briefing. If it is, as the Tánaiste said, a matter for the business committee, why on earth would her party be briefed on any date? She might clarify that for us.

Having stalled for ten weeks while there were negotiations and no small amount of sham battling between different parties, it would be absolutely unthinkable that the House would rise on 7 July and not return until the end of September. If works need to be done in the Chamber, alternative accommodation should be sourced. Could we perhaps suggest the Round Room in the Mansion House? That would be a most appropriate venue for the Dáil to meet. Business committee or no business committee, we cannot have a situation where we are barely in and just about off to a spluttering start with Dáil business and then we go into recess again. There are too many serious issues to be dealt with to allow that to happen.

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