Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

We had another shocking example of the dark side of Ireland in today's newspapers. I refer to the battered and bruised face of William Bartley, who was attacked in his home in Donegal, robbed and brutalised. Here was a 74 year old bachelor, almost totally deaf, who would have expected to live out his twilight years in peace. I do not think this is about policing; we are dealing with a malignancy in society of which we have seen so many examples. The only antidote we have to this type of thuggery comes from the community itself. Ultimately, the people in the community are the only ones who can find out who is causing this. How do we ensure this will not happen again?

Can we set aside time to discuss the broader issues of society? Each time we come to this House, we look at some recent act that has shocked us in some way. There are deeper issues involved. Why is it that we no longer have respect for human life? Why is it that older people must lock themselves up at night, afraid that they too will be attacked? We should set some time aside to have a broader debate on that issue.