Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Not a week goes by that a constituent of mine in the leafy suburbs of north Dublin does not mention the inner city and the issues and concerns they have with it. I would highlight, in particular, young women who have raised it with me as a concern in terms of their night-time plans and visiting and meeting with friends in the city centre, among other things. I know a lot has been done. I know 101 recently attested gardaí were assigned to Garda stations around Dublin in recent weeks but, as I am sure the Taoiseach can appreciate, there is no substitute for experienced members of An Garda Síochána being appropriately allocated to the appropriate stations in order to police our streets and make people feel safe on our streets.

Of course, that is not a means in and of itself. As the Taoiseach has highlighted, there must be a multi-agency approach to dereliction, drug addiction and the general demeanour of the community. To be fair, the city council is doing good work in that regard but it is not doing it fast enough. A number of streets in the north inner city should look so much better. We are one of the richest nations in the world and it is time that we showed it, in particular in Dublin 1, by caring for those who need our help the most and making sure the community in which they wish to live, and where they have been reared for generations, is appropriately supported by the Government and the agencies of the State.

I wanted to raise that point because while policing is fantastic, it is not the solution to every problem within these communities.

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