Joe O'Toole (Independent)

On a number of occasions recently we raised the question of crime and the involvement of the gardaí. The House should note the fact that over the past week the gardaí in Limerick, in particular, have been extraordinarily successful in making at least two, and possibly three, giant steps towards solving some of the difficulties there. It has been done by good policing and hard work. It proves the point that if enough gardaí are made available and put on the streets, an impact can be made on crime in the area.

It is a major step forward that gardaí have reached a stage where the convicted killer of Mr. Brian Fitzgerald is prepared to turn State's evidence and they are working with Interpol and other agencies seeking the extradition of Mr. James Martin Cahill as well as tightening up on some of the others. It shows what can be done. It is the case for greater policing on the ground. This has been done in Limerick through a considerable influx of gardaí, the regular use of the Garda helicopter and other moves. It shows it is the way we need to move forward.

A number of times recently I raised the importance of having a debate on alternative energy and yesterday Senator Coonan called for a debate on agriculture. The two matters could be debated together. We had better recognise that the outcome of the beet negotiations will only be a temporary bridge towards the end of the beet industry. Therefore, we should be looking at the alternatives for farmers and agriculture beyond that point. In particular, this ties in with the need to encourage through tax and other incentives farming communities, and farmers in the first place, to grow alternative crops like oilseed rape, to produce wood pellets for biomass energy and such like, and also to give encouragement to small rural communities to development wind energy farms that can create wealth. There is a significant amount that can be done in that area and we need to look creatively at it, giving the agricultural community hope for the future.