Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

Gabh mo leithscéal, I should have referred to him as the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform who called for zero tolerance.

Gardaí claim they work in poor conditions, that their hands are tied and there is a need for more community policing. The Garda must be provided with the resources it needs. Equal resources must also be given to youth work initiatives and early intervention programmes. Prevention is better than cure and critical areas of youth services and sport must be targeted. One programme that works well is the youth cafe programme in Ballinlough in the Cork South-Central constituency. Community-based projects such as this need to be supported and encouraged as they offer young people an opportunity to get involved, creating an alternative to anti-social behaviour and the drug culture. Such projects empower young people, giving them a sense of community participation.

The clear connection between drug abuse and criminality cannot be ignored. Earlier the House debated the national drugs strategy. If the drug culture and its associated criminality is targeted and tackled, crime of whatever hue will be diluted.

I commend the motion. It is opportune because it highlights the Government's inadequacies in tackling crime. It is the Opposition's job to highlight these inadequacies and hold the Government to account.