Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister to the House and thank the Leader for organising this debate so rapidly. The Minister stated that he has the responsibility to stand four square behind the Garda Síochána with regard to last Saturday's events. However, that is not only the responsibility of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform but also of the Houses of the Oireachtas. The Garda Síochána is not a creature or arm of the Government. It was established under statute dating back to 1924 and any amendment to this legislation must pass through these Houses. Thus, it is demonstrably a matter for all shades of political opinion in this and the other House to stand four square behind the Garda in terms of last Saturday's appalling events.

The Minister rightly condemned the actions of Republican Sinn Féin and, in recent days, I have noted an inability on the part of that tiny organisation to clearly state that people with information on the riots should come forward to the Garda. It must be condemned for that inability and, as long as it refuses to tell its supporters and other apparatchiks that it is unacceptable not to co-operate with the Garda, it must remain outside the political norm.

We owe a debt of gratitude to the gardaí who stood by the Republic despite intense provocation. Every shade of political opinion on this island has a right to march from Parnell Square to Leinster House. In this Republic, it is the traditional route used by a group of people who wish to ensure their voice is heard. It is as important for these people to be able to march outside the GPO as any other group. I am worried about the fact that a virulent neo-nationalism has taken hold in this country, largely due to the rise of Sinn Féin in recent years. Perhaps, we could revisit this issue at a later date.

A vacuum has been created for many young people. As members of the political process, the constitutional parties of this Republic have left this vacuum in existence to be exploited by those who trade in a new revisionist form of history which seeks to justify every act carried out over the past 35 years. Weasel words have been uttered by those who should know better and provocative comments have been made. Ill-tempered remarks were made in the House yesterday about the bigotry of the Orange Order. This is not the time for such comments. We must show leadership where this vacuum has been created.

In respect of the upcoming St. Patrick's Day festival, will the Minister consider banning the sale of alcohol from off-licences in the vicinity of the parade in Dublin? Much of what took place last Saturday was drink-fuelled. On the Order of Business this morning, I raised the possibility of banning the sale of alcohol from off-licences in the run-up to the parade as a way of ensuring that the parade remains a family occasion, the city remains a space for families and the parade remains a celebration of our national feast day, as opposed to turning into the kind of drink-fuelled binge we witnessed last Saturday and on previous occasions.

I wish the gardaí well, particularly those injured as a result of this outrage. We have a responsibility to stand behind the gardaí and ensure this outrage never occurs again.