Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This week, 51 years ago, Jean McConville, a widow with ten children, was abducted, murdered and secretly buried in my county. Nobody has been convicted of that crime, although some have been arrested and later released. I live in County Louth which has suffered greatly, even recently. We all know about the appalling criminality and the drug intimidation that took place in Drogheda, in particular, the dismembering of a child. The answer was a Government response, through the Minister, Deputy McEntee, in which €16 million in additional supports and over 30 additional gardaí were given to An Garda Síochána. There has been huge investment in crèches and community facilities. That is the response that Ministers need to make. They need to tackle the underlying causes of crime, drug abuse and drug addiction and the appalling drug problems and problems arising from drugs that young people face.

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