Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for her contribution. I fully agree in that I do not believe this is the time for grandstanding and waving pictures. Again, I suggest to the Opposition that it think about what exactly it is trying to achieve here.

To respond to the Deputy's question about our capital city, there is much talk about the capital belonging to no one individual. It belongs to us all. There is not one of us who was not devastated by what happened last Thursday, by what happened the children and their families, and by the scenes we saw on O'Connell Street. However, I have been listening. I have been listening to members of the community in Dublin city centre and beyond. I have been listening to businesses and colleagues, and to women who told me some of them do not feel safe in our city centre, not just in the past four days or since the summer but since I became Minister. That is why we have had two stations opened in our city centre that were not open before I was Minister. That is why we have €10 million in additional funding for gardaí for our city centre. That is why a partnership has been established in our city centre, acknowledging that safety is not just about An Garda Síochána. That is why we have Operation Citizen, which was launched to ensure high-visibility policing. That is why the vast majority of members who have come out of the Garda College and the new recruits this year have gone to Dublin. That is why we are introducing body-worn cameras for gardaí and need facial recognition to ensure it will not take months to identify the thugs involved last Thursday. All the work I have been doing is being done because I have been listening to people's concerns. This work includes a zero-tolerance strategy, responding to concerns of women in our towns and cities and those who are vulnerable. It is to ensure people not only feel safe but also are safe in our city centre. I will do more. I am aware more needs to be done to support our shopkeepers, victims of theft and those who feel their staff are not safe. That is why I have been working closely with An Garda Síochána.

I have listened to and heard the concerns of business owners here in Dublin but also those in Cork, Limerick, Galway and my county, Meath, because the challenges we have in Dublin are replicated in other cities. I am absolutely committed, not just because of what happened on Thursday but because I, like every person in this House, want to ensure those who live in and visit our capital are and feel safe.

On working with the Garda Commissioner and the asks I have of the Policing Authority, I met Garda members as recently as the weekend. They say they feel they are looking over their shoulders regarding whether they can use appropriate force. When members of An Garda find themselves at risk when protecting themselves and others, I do not want them questioning their own judgment. This is not about questioning the training, An Garda Síochána or Templemore. This is about clarity for all our members so that when they find themselves in these difficult situations, they do not have to think twice. It is not about interfering in the work of anybody else. I do not want Garda members looking over their shoulders at any stage here.

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