Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)

I welcome the Bill. We support it fully but intend to table some amendments on Committee Stage which we think will strengthen it. In my constituency, particularly in the north-inner city, and in a number of other constituencies in Ireland, there is a heartbreaking sight that many of us have grown accustomed to: young people, children, teenagers, kids on scramblers, kids hanging around corners with nothing to do, kids being used - I mean that word very deliberately - as runners in drug networks, carrying out drop-offs, collecting debts, standing watch, kids who are still in primary school being given roles in organised crime because they are seen as less likely to be stopped or to be held responsible. That is exactly what we are dealing with here, not the glamourised version of crime seen in tabloids or crime dramas but the slow erosion of community by criminal networks that know how to exploit poverty, trauma and the absence of opportunity.

That is why the work of the Criminal Assets Bureau is so vital. When CAB seizes a house bought with drug money, that is not just a headline. It is a message and an intervention. It tells people, especially young people, that there is a limit to how long crime can pay, that there are consequences and a State watching and willing to act.

The Bill will strengthen CAB's ability to act and that is really welcome. It gives CAB powers to freeze accounts more quickly, whether cash or crypto. It shortens the time it has to wait before an asset can be permanently seized from seven years to two. It allows courts to appoint receivers so criminal assets cannot be used while a case drags on. It closes off legal loopholes that allow delay and stalling. It is practical and smart legislation and we support it.

Seizing the assets should only be one step. The real power is in what we do next. That money, those homes and those cars must be reinvested in full directly into the communities where the harm was done and where criminality has taken hold because the State failed to show up often enough or strongly enough. We should have a clear and visible pipeline. All money taken from crime goes back into youth services, family supports, addiction services, education and community policing. That is how we rebuild trust and break the cycle.

I acknowledge funds have been allocated through the community safety and innovation fund. That is very welcome but 100% of assets should be going back into communities. Crime does not just destroy lives. It costs a huge amount of money to the Exchequer in Garda time, health costs, lost opportunities, court backlogs and the price communities pay every time a child is pulled into the system. We cannot do the same thing over and over and expect different results. Seizing assets is part of the solution but, on its own, it is not enough. We have seen that.

We have to talk honestly about intervening directly with people involved in drug networks, not just the top brass but the foot soldiers, the young people caught up early and who often end up in prison with untreated trauma, addiction and no exit plan. If we are serious about breaking the cycle, we need to wrap those people in the full care of the State. That means better prison conditions, not just tougher ones. It means access to education and rehabilitation for those in prison. We need a better understanding of what prisons are for and what purpose they should serve. This should mean fully funded probation services, transitional housing, trauma supports and employment schemes. It means a real investment in community-based alternatives to prison, especially for young people. Too many people go into prison with problems and come out with worse ones. That is not justice. That is a revolving door and it is costing us in every sense of the word.

We need a mini-CAB approach, targeting mid-level players before they become untouchable. We all know how certain high-level crime gangs operate now and how hard it is to dismantle that level of operation once they are international, their networks stretch across borders and their assets are moved offshore. There is a level before all that: the flashy operators in their 20s and 30s who control estates, drive financed cars, have two or three apartments in someone else's name and have built mini empires in local communities. We need to hit those assets early. We need a dedicated, fast response mechanism to freeze and investigate assets at that mid level before it becomes a full-blown cartel. If we wait too long, the structures become too strong and we are already playing catch-up.

Let us talk once more about the kids on the scramblers. If they are 13 now, they are in sixth class or first year. If we do nothing and all they see is the gangland lads get rich, live fast and rarely get caught, we know where they will be at 18. If they see assets being seized and the money going into youth clubs that give them purpose, if they are met by outreach workers and Garda youth diversion projects and if they are seen not just as risks but as children worth saving, then we change the outcome and interrupt the cycle. We get better, fairer, safer communities not by accident, but by design.

I support the Bill. It gives us stronger tools to disrupt organised crime but legislation like this only works if it is matched with investment, vision and a willingness to tackle inequality and exclusion head-on. Let us take the money but then give it back to the communities destroyed by the harm. Let us build a system which does not just punish crime but prevents it, understands it and replaces it with opportunity.

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