Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to speak on this legislation, although it is probably eight or ten years too late. When the banking crisis hit, we saw the vulture funds arrive and we saw the mushrooming of the legal eagles and everybody else, no disrespect to the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. We saw what went on in the courts. I have been present at so many evictions and my colleagues, Deputies Nolan and Michael Collins visited KBC Bank after the events at Strokestown. We also visited a private security company in Tipperary with one Jerry Beades.

It is the wild west when it comes to security and the intimidation that goes on and has gone on. There is no place in this country for a third force. I have said that dozens of times but we have a third force. We have An Garda Síochána, which I have proudly supported all of my life, and we have the Irish Army. That is it, apart from the auxiliary force, the Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil, FCA, as it was known in my time, or the Local Defence Force, LDF. Then a third force arrived, a murky, dirty underworld of business. These firms were meant to be regulated. The regulator had offices in my own town of Tipperary and was doing its best but it was the wild west. There was violence and intimidation. Men wearing balaclavas and accompanied by dogs were crawling across fields in Wexford. I was on the phone to the woman of the house who was standing at the gate of her farm and being pulled away. I am sad to say that members of An Garda Síochána were present but they turned their backs and I met the Chief Superintendent afterwards to complain.

This legislation does not go far enough. Some of the security personnel mentioned earlier were former members of the Ulster Defence Regiment, UDR. They came down here with their knuckle dusters, their heavies and all kinds of padding, to intimidate people. We saw what happened in Balbriggan in Dublin and in other areas. Vehicles were parked outside the Garda Station in Balbriggan. There must be a separation of powers between the courts, An Garda Síochána and these agents. Many of them were thugs, vagabonds and heavies. That language might be strong but that is what they were. They had blackened faces and little respect for anybody. Even in cases where gardaí challenged them in some rural areas, they just pushed them out of the way. It is dangerous when people get power like that and get away with it. Nightclub bouncers or those providing security in pubs must be registered and wear bands on their arms. We looked for badges on those people but they did not have them. If we did not get out their way, we would have literally been blown into eternity. I was standing on the roadside in Ferns, County Wexford, in Galway and in many other parts of the country to support people who were thrown on the mercy of vultures.

On the vulture funds, the former Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, welcomed them into this country. I heard what Deputy Tóibín said about Deputy Noonan welcoming them here and now we see the results of that. We have an appalling mess because of all of the evictions, the hoarding and the over-stocking. This Bill does not go far enough. We need to regulate the security industry profoundly, the same as An Garda Síochána. When they call to someone's home, sometimes they do not have the eviction order documents at all and sometimes they do not have the court orders. Sometimes they have photocopies and sometimes there are misspellings. To be honest, many ordinary rank-and-file gardaí do not understand the legal jargon, no more than I do myself. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle would understand it but many gardaí do not. Many times, evictions are carried out without court sanction.

I appeal to judges - I know there is a separation of powers - when they are signing orders, to ensure that they are enforced in a dignified and respectful manner. There should not be any place for them. I have no truck with people who do not want to pay or who will not or cannot pay and all that, but I have for families and ordinary people.

Farmers are waking in the morning or the in the middle of the night getting phone calls from their neighbours. I know of one case where a neighbour informed a farmer that his farm had been listed by AIB on the web at midnight. We bailed out the banks. Farms are being sold to vulture funds overnight without the consent of the owners. This is happening on land that we fought for. It is the land that was fought for by my late father - he spent 14 months in prison - and that Liam Lynch, Michael Collins, Dan Breen, Seán Tracey, Pat Crowe and many others fought for. Are we back to this now? This Bill is really inadequate and our group will be submitting amendments in respect of it. It is shameful.

I thank Deputies Nolan and Michael Collins for coming with me on those issues. We intended to go to KBC for half an hour but we ended up being there for eight or nine hours. KBC is now leaving the country - and so are other banks - after doing the dirt. There is blood on people’s hands here and it is not good enough.

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