Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

And therein lies the problem. The Taoiseach is not listening to communities, parents and businesses, including retail businesses. The failures on Thursday in Dublin were political failures.

After 12 years of Fine Gael in government, we do not have enough gardaí to keep people safe. This is not just a problem in Dublin; it is much broader than that. In cities and towns across Ireland, hundreds of stations have been closed, there is a depleted force and a serious recruitment and retention crisis, with people feeling unsafe in their homes, on their streets and in their communities.

People could see coming what happened in Dublin on Thursday. The Taoiseach needs to start listening. The truth is that confidence in policing and public safety is at rock bottom. The Taoiseach needs to now do something about that. I am telling him straight and I am telling him clear: we need a fresh start. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, is not the person to give the leadership that is required at this critical time. Rather than the Taoiseach engaging in delusion and distraction, I ask him to face the cold truth and the severity and seriousness of what happened in the heart of our capital city and move to bring accountability to the situation.

See this speech in context