Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail)

I ask the Leader to highlight the issue of organised crime. I recognise there will not be time between now and Friday for a debate on the matter but perhaps she will contact the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. There has been much debate here in recent months on crime and public order offences. To some extent organised crime has gone off the agenda but it has not gone away. This was highlighted over the weekend when we discovered that a journalist from the Sunday World has been intimidated by organised criminals. He and his family are under Garda protection as a result of a threat to their life. This is outrageous.

This House and the other House acted swiftly in the wake of the murder of Veronica Guerin by similar people by enacting legislation to ensure these people were put out of business. Unfortunately, a void seems to have developed, allowing a similar group or groups to operate with impunity and to contemplate perpetrating a similarly heinous crime. It is incumbent on all of us to ensure something like that can never happen again, to ensure the freedom of the press is maintained and that this type of intimidation is ended.