Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I wish the Minister the best of luck in his new role. I have been contacted by many constituents in Dublin South-Central since I was elected in November - in fact, when I was a councillor from June until November 2024, people were contacting me about this issue - about the lack of a Garda presence and the persistent antisocial behaviour around the Fatima Luas station in Rialto. It has been reported to me that people of all ages, including children, are dealing drugs there openly and without challenge. Last summer – this is kind of by the by - wildflowers were growing there, along a linear park. I do not know whether the Minister knows Dublin 8 well, but it has a very limited number of green space areas and that space was hard fought for. It was granted and the area was lined beautifully with wildflowers, but the drug dealing continued. The answer to the drug dealing was to cut down the wildflowers, but the drug dealing still continued. It did not deter the drug dealing, and the flowers are gone. This is affecting people who use the hospital or live in the area. I dread that when the children's hospital eventually opens, if people choose to bring their sick children on the Luas to the hospital, they will have to pass gangs of people dealing drugs. It is absolutely unacceptable. People are feeling intimidated and scared and are living in fear in that area. It is just not good enough.

On the issue of children dealing drugs, I would love to know what happened to Fagin's law. Does it exist anymore and is it being implemented? Has anyone ever been charged under the law? The law itself is flawed because the child has to give evidence against the adult who has groomed them into a life of crime, which is totally unacceptable. We obviously need to provide adequate levels of support for people who are in vulnerable positions and find themselves needing to deal drugs or become involved in antisocial behaviour, but we also need to spread those services throughout this city and not just have clumps of them in certain areas. Dublin 8 has a high concentration of people in addiction and with mental health problems who need a lot of support.

I am banging on about the school completion programme today because a second Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, report that has just been released lauds how well that programme is doing, but it also asks for the final parts of the governance and employment structure to be implemented. As other contributors have said, youth workers, youth services, Garda youth diversion and the school completion programme all need to be fully resourced to be able to help young people and children with prosocial activities and skills throughout the school day, after school and during holiday time.

I am sure the Minister knows about the organisation Sporting Liberties.

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