Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge we are being told that progress is being made, but we must ensure that those involved in the commission and orchestration of this brutal attack are apprehended. This is a serious issue with implications for the entire region and its economic fortunes. The livelihoods of the 850 employees and 2,500 indirectly in employment as a result of the work of these directors and the success of the company could be placed in jeopardy. The threats against the company have been going on for years.

They have only been acted upon recently, and we have seen the physical manifestations of that. We need to ask whom these actions serve. They definitely do not serve the community or those people working directly or indirectly with Quinn Insurance. This only benefits those who stand to benefit personally from these actions. The criminals responsible need to be brought to justice - that is vital - but the individual or individuals behind the campaign need to be identified and the same force and rigours of the law need to be brought to bear on that person or persons.

The Taoiseach said there was a need for additional resources. Just yesterday, I got a letter from a person in a successful company on the Border. That person told me there has been numerous assaults and other problems but they no longer contact the Garda because it is a waste of time. This week, somebody who was seriously intoxicated was on the premises. The people in the company phoned the Garda and it took an hour for the Garda to respond. Within that hour the person left. They got into their car and drove on to a national road. The people in that company asked me, and I ask it of the House, what if somebody had been killed? What if somebody's mother lost their life as a result of that? We have a serious issue with lack of resources in Border communities and, unfortunately, the Government is not dealing with it. While we need additional resources for this investigation, we also need to ensure no other crimes are allowed to be committed as a result of a lack of resources.

See this speech in context