Francis Noel Duffy (Dublin South West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I begin by wishing the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, a quick recovery and thanking the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, for coming in this evening. The crack cocaine epidemic in Tallaght is intensifying, with more open drug-dealing in public places, increased violence, drug-related intimidation and sophisticated marketing techniques being used by drug dealers to ensnare users. Consequently, the demand for services is increasing. While the local task forces are working on the front line to provided critically-needed services and projects, they are chronically underfunded and under-resourced. This has impacted on the longevity of projects, the number of staff they can retain full-time and, ultimately, the level of services they can provide.

If the Government is serious about tackling this issue that is destroying families in Tallaght and Whitechurch, and I have no doubt it is, we need to ensure €1 million in funding is allocated as soon as possible as indicated by the report published yesterday by the TDATF. It should be noted the funding cut during the recession has not been restored. The population has, as the other Deputies have said, increased and the State coffers have grown by 50% since 2008. Furthermore, there has been a 75% increase in drug-related crime in Tallaght since 2018 but the area has the joint lowest number of Garda members per head of population in the Dublin region. Budget 2022 commits to recruiting 800 new gardaí. In delivering on this commitment, we need to ensure that gardaí are deployed in the areas in most need, such as Tallaght. I would appreciate it if the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, the Department and the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, could give a commitment to allocate that €1 million to the local task forces in Tallaght as soon as possible and to increase the number of gardaí in the area.

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