Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach began by saying that he is keen to hear feedback from the community. Let me tell the Minister about some of the feedback from the parents in Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire as regards what they have experienced over the past 24 hours. Can she imagine what the parents of those children have experienced over the weekend since last Thursday? What would her expectation be if that was her school, where her kids would be? Earlier, at 2.30 p.m., those parents collected their children from that school. What would she say they experienced? There was not one garda present on Parnell Street today as they collected those kids from that school. More to the point, my phone started to blow up around 2.45 p.m. because what they did see was a person lying on the steps where that vicious assault on those three children and Leanne took place last week. There was a person who was intoxicated and had urinated on himself and there was not a garda present. That was at 2.30 p.m., despite the fact that that school principal had been promised there would be a consistent Garda presence on that street over the coming weeks and months. What sort of callous disregard is that from the State towards those children, who have experienced the most incredible trauma that none of us could even comprehend, that that is what they experienced today? They deserve an apology. It is unforgivable.

Yesterday, those parents made the brave decision - the right decision - to bring their children back to school. After they did so, they assembled in a nearby hotel to source information from the State as to how their children would be protected in the near future. They expected to see the police, council officials and potentially Ministers there, as would be the normal situation if an attack like that occurred elsewhere. There were three representatives of the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, present and dozens of parents who had all sorts of understandable questions that simply were not answered. The feedback I am hearing from parents in Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire, some of whom were present here today, is that they feel disregarded. The experience today is simply unacceptable. It is unacceptable in any sense that there would not be a garda present to provide reassurance outside that school and an apology should be forthcoming.

I will move on quickly because I do not have a lot of time. Earlier, the Minister for Justice stated:

An Garda Síochána maintained a high-visibility policing plan throughout the weekend, including through the deployment of public order units ... Thankfully, due to the diligent work of gardaí, no further scenes of chaos have unfolded.

On Sunday evening, a man was hacked to bits on Talbot Street. It was just across the road from where the Minister had her much-vaunted publicity stunt with the Commissioner during the summer to prove that those streets are safe. Does she know where that man lay as he was hacked with a machete on Sunday? He lay outside the office of the community policing safety partnership the Minister talked about. What we have is a lawlessness and a lack of control in the city. These are my constituents. It is the residents of the north inner city who are finding themselves at the coal face of this. Whether I have confidence in this Government or the Minister is irrelevant. My constituents are hurting. They have been crying out for support from the State for the best part of two years and they have effectively been ignored. The Government has asked for no points scoring and for there to be collaboration at these times. The centre must hold, it says. For the last two years I have come into this Chamber and I have asked for that very same approach and we have been ignored. It was this time last year we had statements on safety in the city of Dublin after a year of calling for them. No action followed. I make no apologies for making the calls we have made. Protect our city. That is all we are asking. Do the job. We need more gardaí on the street. It is not more complex than that. The school deserves an apology for what happened today.

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