Kathleen O'Meara (Labour)

With regard to the incident in Templederry, raised by Senator Mansergh, I join other Senators in seeking a debate on rural policing and in particular the Government's policy on the deployment of gardaí in rural areas. In recent weeks, and particularly over the Christmas period, there were a number of criminal incidents in the north Tipperary area. It would appear that gangs are coming there from larger urban areas to prey on smaller village communities in constituencies such as Tipperary North. I am sure this is also happening elsewhere. In that context, the issue of how Garda manpower is deployed needs to be examined carefully. This has been a matter of major public concern for a long time. It is one of the core issues in rural areas and one which must be reflected in this House by way of debate, so I ask for such a debate as soon as possible.