Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)

A "Prime Time" investigation last night on RTE dealt with the tenth anniversary of the ruthless assassination of Veronica Guerin. It is harrowing and worrying to see that we have regressed in the fight against drugs. Up to 100 drug lords are operating from Spain with impunity. My heart goes out to the families, brothers, sons and daughters who must put up with the serious drugs problem all over the country but especially in inner-city Dublin. There appears to be indecision in Europol which is allowing these drug lords to act with impunity.

We have had debates on the ever-increasing rate of road traffic accidents. There are extra gardaí on the roads or in the Garda traffic corps. We must have a debate — a wake-up call — to seek extra resources to deal with the ongoing drugs problem. The Government should lobby at EU level and try to get a decent agreement which will ensure a proper fight against these drug lords in Spain and around Europe.

We have a duty in this House to highlight these issues. They are coming down the line very fast, but we appear to be very naive about what is happening. I thank the Cathaoirleach for his indulgence, but we must have a debate on this very soon. It is the tenth anniversary of Veronica Guerin's death and we should remember her. There was much action following her death, such as the establishment of the Criminal Assets Bureau, but we are losing sight of this serious issue, which will affect the youth of our country. We should deal with it sooner rather than later.