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

A form of vetting takes place where people are being placed in particular types of local authority housing. Beyond that, anybody can move into an area and this problem can arise. It is really important that the Garda is alerted to any issues that arise within the community. If people within the community have suspicions or indeed have evidence to show that drug dealing is taking place and that particular communities are being subjected to the types of abuse and attacks that the Deputy mentioned, it is important that the Garda be made aware of this. It is then about making sure that particular communities that might be impacted more than others get the support and the resources so that the young people are protected in whatever way they can be. That can be through youth intervention or the youth diversion programmes that have been rolled out by my colleague the Minister of State. We need to make sure that the Garda and local schools have the resources they need.

In any instance where an individual or people within a house or a community are carrying out these types of acts, it is the role of the Garda to make sure that people are held accountable. I appreciate that people are sometimes concerned about coming forward, but if the Garda does not have evidence or information, it is very hard for it to take prosecutions.

See this speech in context