Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

There have been seven murders in north Dublin in recent months. Four of these killings were of men aged 22 or 23, including the latest murder. One of the 22 year olds was shot in the head by a gunman as he was pushing his baby son in a buggy. Some of these young men were not believed to have been involved in gangs, except that they owed them money.

Alongside the murders, there has been a succession of attempted murders as well as well-documented evidence of intimidation and severe violence carried out by criminals involved in drug selling. There have been other high-profile murders in other parts of the city and in Meath and Louth. Seven killings in one year is an extraordinary level of violence on the northside of Dublin. If there was this level of killings elsewhere, I genuinely believe there would have been a swifter reaction.

There is a serious problem with how some of these killings are now reported. It is repeatedly reported that people are being murdered in a gangland area. Will the Taoiseach confirm to the House today and to all of us that no part of this country is controlled by gangs, that we do not have gangland areas or no-go areas for the Garda in maintaining peace and order in this land? We cannot have a situation where murders are somehow diminished because the term "gang" or "gangland" is attributed to the incident. We must not be allowed to become so used to violence that we are undermined in our determination to take absolute and robust action to stop criminal murders.

Specifically, we need a ministerial task force for Dublin's Northside Partnership area with the same level of commitment as was given to the north inner city ministerial task force, chaired by Mr. Mulvey. Such a task force needs to engage with all stakeholders and all members of the community, including political parties, community organisations and activists, businesses and so on. Crucially, it is essential that it looks beyond just a policing solution and also focuses on issues of employment, educational disadvantage and all the other factors that have in the past created fertile ground for criminals setting up networks or expanding their violent activities.

My question is very direct and simple. Will the Government undertake to establish such a ministerial task force for north Dublin? Does the Taoiseach accept what has happened in this specific area, and I do not want to hear statistics about crime or things being diminished, demands a co-ordinated and specific response from Government?

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