Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As justice spokesperson for Fianna Fáil, I wish to put on record and to express to the Minister and the Minister of State my disgust at the development in recent days that has seen major, reputable individuals in the world of boxing decide to affiliate themselves and get involved with a leading Irish figure in an international criminal organisation. I ask that Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Sky Sports and others involved in the fight inform themselves about the Kinahan criminal organisation. They do not have to listen to politicians or the media, but I think they do have to listen to judgments of the Irish courts and, in particular, to a decision by Mr. Justice Hunt given in the Special Criminal Court last month. In that decision, he referred to the Kinahan criminal organisation as an organised crime gang involved in "execution-type murders" in the context of feuds "to protect its core activities", which include "organised drugs and firearms" offences on "an international scale".

I ask the people involved in this fight to inform themselves about that. They cannot just hide from those facts because there is a great deal of money to be made. The lives of people in inner-city Dublin, which have been decimated by the Kinahan criminal organisation, deserve to be recognised by the other people involved in the fight. The victims of killings by the criminal organisation also need to be aware of it.

On what needs to be done in respect of sport, one of the main negative consequences of the lockdown has been the impact of the closure of sport on young people, including children. They thrive on sport. All of us who played sports as youngsters know how important it is to us. I urge the Minister, Mr. Ross, and the Minister of State, Deputy Griffin, to do their best to ensure we can get young people back playing sports. Sport is great for spectators but it is more important for participants, particularly young people.

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