Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

I support Senators Brian Hayes and Tuffy and others in their call for action on street crime, particularly following the incident on the M50 over the weekend. Although we give out about crime constantly, we have become complacent. It is as if we take it for granted but the time for talking is over.

We need to see action taken against these armed criminals who now go about their business prepared for conflict, wearing bullet-proof vests in case they come up against one of their enemies and are shot at. We cannot stand for this any longer and need to see action from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. He must come to the House to outline the measures or rather the action he is going to take. We do not need any more measures. We want to see action that will give the streets back to the ordinary people of the country so that they can go about their business in the knowledge that it is safe to do so.

Senator Norris made a very good point about older people and keeping warm. Older people get a fuel allowance but it is insufficient. The allowance is only paid from the end of September to the middle of April but nights can be cold for longer than that period. It can be cold at night in May as well as October and it has been particularly cold this month. While the fuel allowance has improved, it still does not fully address the needs of older people. I urge the Minister for Social and Family Affairs to consider increasing the allowance in the next budget. People are still cold, as Senator Norris has pointed out.