Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

St. Cuthbert's Park is a medium-sized park in south-west Clondalkin, in my constituency, which is surrounded by some 2,000 houses, comprising both council housing and private homes. The people living in Bawnogue work very hard and pay their rent or mortgage and their taxes, including the property tax. They contribute enormously to the very vibrant local community. For example, the Friends of St. Cuthbert's Park group organises family days and cinema evenings. Local men and women put an enormous amount of time voluntarily into the very active local soccer club, Clondalkin Celtic FC, in which more than 200 boys and girls participate. The local GAA team, Round Tower GAA Club, is also active in the area. In addition, there is also a local community safety forum. It is a really vibrant place to live, with very good people.

Unfortunately, St Cuthbert's Park has been plagued for years by the reckless use of quad and scrambler bikes, so much so that we had to set up a task force, led by the local authority and local gardaí, and the membership of which includes local councillors, Deputies, residents and sports club representatives. For as long as the task force has existed, senior gardaí in Clondalkin have been telling it that they do not have enough power to seize the quad and scrambler bikes that are putting people's lives at risk. It is not Opposition Deputies or members of the community who are saying that. The people tasked by the Government to keep our community safe are asking it to change the law. The reason I mention St. Cuthbert's Park is that the local community, local authority and community gardaí are doing everything they can. A change in the law is what is needed.

My colleague, Deputy Ellis, referred to the numerous occasions when he and other Opposition Deputies have called for the Government to take action on this matter. There is a widespread belief in the communities we represent that it is because this problem predominantly affects working-class communities that the Government has not taken action for years. That is the widely held belief of many of the people we represent. If the kinds of problems we see with quad and scrambler bikes were as prevalent in more affluent parts of our urban centres, people believe that the law would have been changed years ago. I know the Minister has been given a statement by his officials which she will read presently. We are urging her, when this debate is over and she goes back to her Department and to her officials, not to do what her predecessor, Deputy Flanagan, did. We ask that she not tell us there is going to be action when no action is planned. We are asking her to look at this issue, hear what Deputies are saying, take it seriously and come back with proposals to empower the Garda to assist people and keep our communities safe. That is not too much to ask of the Minister for Justice.

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