Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Judicial appointments have been covered by politics for as long as appointments have been made. This is wrong from the word go and it cannot continue. It should be on the basis of someone's ability, not on a nod and wink basis because someone's father or mother supported a certain party all of their lives. There is no point in the Judiciary stating that we have to separate the Judiciary from the political system as most of the judges are here because of politics. They are linked and I have no doubt that many cases that come before the courts have been on the desk of a local Deputy at some stage. We, as well as the Judiciary, should play a part in law cases in this country to rid the country of crime.

We also need to strengthen the extradition laws of this country, especially with European countries which we have locked arms with. I know of some very suspicious characters in this country who roam the countryside free because they have escaped extradition. I call on the law of the land to rectify this. If they are as innocent as they claim to be, why not go to the country that is most affected by the crime that was committed and either clear their names or face jail for the rest of their lives if found guilty? We seem too relaxed in this country about extradition and fall on the side of protecting the guilty, which in turn makes it look like we made mistakes in the lead-up to these people being brought to justice, and in turn these people try to make our gardaí look weak, which if looked into properly, is not true.

I have seen law cases in this country where gardaí have been attacked and, to my astonishment, the criminal gets a very small sentence. How can gardaí apprehend hardened criminals when the law of the land fails to protect these gardaí? Gardaí end up being badly injured in the line of duty. Sentences for these types of crimes need to be stronger. We need to show this country and the world that Ireland does not go easy on the thugs who commit these crimes.

On my behalf and on behalf of my colleagues in the Rural Independent Group, I thank the Master of the High Court, Edmund Honohan, for carefully crafting the Impaired Farm Credit Bill 2022, which has been sponsored by the Rural Independent Group. This is an innovative Bill which aims to protect the family farm from vulture funds and boost low interest credit for farmers. It was cleared for debate in the Dáil on Tuesday last. For too long, the Government has facilitated the vulture funds and banks to seize and sell family farms in Ireland. This Bill would create a policy platform to tip the scales back in favour of landowners and farmers. It is all about protecting the small man or woman against predatory financial institutions.

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