Paschal Donohoe (Fine Gael)

Other Senators have called for a debate on values and how our communities are responding to the issues they are facing. I call for a debate on establishing joint policing committees and policing forums that were recently introduced under legislation in many towns and cities. They have been in place for between only one and two years. In my constituency of Dublin Central, four of them are in operation. Other Senators have raised issues this morning regarding how communities respond to upheaval in their lives caused by serious crime. The forums within which that is taking place locally are in many cases policing forums that have been established by legislation. I would like to have a debate on the operation of joint policing committees and policing forums. We need to review how they are working. In many cases they are pointing up deficiencies in how communities are policed and deficiencies in legislation. By having a debate we could make practical suggestions about how our communities could respond to issues that have been raised.

I again call for a debate on transport infrastructure. The Dublin Port tunnel is the pride of civil engineering in our city. It was closed for most of yesterday because the company with responsibility for it was unable to make it operate. I call for the Leader to organise an urgent debate on the policy of how we fund public transport infrastructure and how it is run. The Minister should come to the House and be made accountable for the issues raised by all Senators in this regard.