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

Last week, I raised the rise in crime rates in County Kerry in the form of a Topical Issue debate. During that debate, I also touched on the fact that elderly people are having their homes invaded and are being attacked. Very sadly, since then a man aged 94 years and his wife, who is 87, had their home invaded last Sunday. Two men attacked him. They broke his walking stick over his head. They ransacked his house and stole money. Representatives of the active retirement associations around the country have said that politicians will have to step up. I agree.

This type of behaviour from any human being should not be tolerated. I am not blaming Government or An Garda Síochána. These people are scumbags. They are the worst type of cowardly blackguards that God ever had the misfortune to create and bring into this world. They are horrible people. I know that they will not hear this because they are all thrown in a slumber somewhere sound asleep and would not be up until evening time, but if any one of them is awake I would send a message to them out of this House: they are cowards; they are horrible blackguards.

I commend the Government that was in office at the time of Veronica Guerin's death. It came in here and worked diligently - Opposition and Government together. It brought in new rules and regulations that ensured the formation of the Criminal Assets Bureau. The Taoiseach and others that were here tackled organised crime in a very diligent and workmanlike way. We, as Government and Opposition and as elected Members of Dáil Éireann, have to stand up and say that we will not tolerate this type of behaviour.

We will ensure elderly people in their homes will be safe, secure and happy in the knowledge that if any person is stupid enough to enter their homes and hurt a hair on their heads, they will be dealt with severely. I am talking about punishments such as tagging. This is not an outrageous thing to say. They should be tagged for life because people should know where they are if any person is cowardly enough to do this. Why do they not take on big strong men in their homes and see how they would come out of it? I am very supportive of what the Government did in the Criminal Law (Defence and the Dwelling) Act 2011 under which a person is entitled, and rightly so, to use reasonable force to protect their home. I would like to hear what the Taoiseach has to say about that.

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