Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

On a previous occasion the Cathaoirleach allowed me to raise the need to abort the sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Limerick mainly on the basis of the fear and intimidation of the people involved in the jury. This is another classic example where there may be suspected intimidation. While I am not saying there is, a climate of fear pervades in Limerick. We must consider the views of a senior member of the Garda who stated that the Garda force in Limerick is so depleted at present that all the gardaí are involved in tracking down the criminal families and do not have time for routine matters. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform should come to the House and state what extra staffing resources he will provide for Limerick in order to cater for this. Some 2,000 extra gardaí were promised in the lifetime of the Government. We are not looking for 2,000 extra gardaí but are looking for proper resources to combat the situation that pervades in the Limerick area.