Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

No, I like the positive discrimination. I would love to see it happen all of the time, not just on 8 March.

I was wondering about the discussions on the report on the policing service for our future and how that relates to evictions, seeing that evictions are going to be a big part of our future. Was there any discussion or training of gardaí in how to deal with these issues? I had experience in the past, particularly as a councillor but also as a Deputy, of being called to the scene of evictions. When I called gardaí, despite my rank as a local representative, they would tell me it is a civil matter and nothing to do with them, despite the evictions being illegal in many cases. We compare that with what we saw in Frederick Street at one of the most famous evictions that has happened in recent years, where gardaí were called in military-style to back up the bailiffs. With the eviction ban lifted, will any aspect of the future of policing in the State seek to ensure gardaí are not used like hired helps, as companies like Debenhams have used them in the past, or as in the scenes during the Famine in places like Skibbereen, where bailiffs were backed up by the local RIC? We do not want to return to that. I am genuinely asking the Taoiseach what training, advice and so on is being given to gardaí who will increasingly face eviction scenes in their community.

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