Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Today, we are speaking to a 291-page document that addresses the changing over of Votes under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024. Part of this involves the components that deal with whole-of-government responsibility, the strengthening of oversight and accountability, enhanced oversight mechanisms, community engagement and the absorption of current structures into the Policing and Community Safety Authority.

It would be absolutely remiss of me if I did not use yesterday's events as an example of where legislation like this could work and, in the absence of effective resourcing, what we are being left with. What happened yesterday outside the Dáil was an absolute travesty. My phone started to ring from just after 7 a.m., when I started to receive communications about Mothers Against Genocide who were taking part in an organised protest, in the context of which they had engaged with the structures that one is supposed engage with the previous evening. Then I heard that those same parents who had given up their day of celebration to sleep on the pavement outside Dáil Éireann had their symbols of genocide removed. When they protested vociferously, as they rightly should have done and as they have been doing for many months-----

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