Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response. The Taoiseach visited the offices of the Northside Partnership in September 2019 when he met with the chairperson, Nessan Vaughan, and the chief executive, Paul Rogers. The Taoiseach listened to the views of representatives of several local organisations who outlined what should be done to tackle disadvantage in the area. The Taoiseach's visit, along with visits by the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Richard Bruton, and the Minister of State at the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Finian McGrath, followed some of the shootings I referred to earlier. The Taoiseach heard presentations, including one on the loss of a teaching post in Our Lady Immaculate national school in Darndale. This case was put forward following the shooting of Jordan Davis outside the school, on a school day. The Taoiseach said he would get back to the group with his proposals, but we are still waiting. The meeting took place in September but the Department of Education and Skills has since confirmed that the school will lose the teacher. This is despite the strong case made on that day.

I note the collective call from former Ministers of State with responsibility for the national drugs strategy to the Government to renew its efforts on the drugs crisis, to beef up the local partnerships and the local drugs task forces, and to listen to communities affected about what needs to be done. The recent big call by these former Ministers of State and by several organisations working on the drugs crisis on the ground is that communities just wish to be listened to. They have the on-the-ground experience and they know what needs to be done. As the Minister rightly said, it is not just a criminal justice issue; it is also a community issue. There is a need to develop youth services and sporting organisations and to tackle disadvantage generally. The call from the former Ministers of State was a cry for help that communities want to be listened to. The Government needs to renew its efforts on the drugs situation.

The Coolock gardaí still need more resources. The area has had a population explosion. A new Garda station is promised for Northern Cross, which the Acting Chairman, Deputy Alan Farrell, will be familiar with. We need to ensure that the resources are put in place as soon as possible.

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