Mark Dearey (Green Party)

I ask the Leader for a debate on dissident republican violence. A man was murdered in my home town on Sunday evening while visiting a friend. There is talk that it may have been an internecine attack. Be that as it may, we know what such attacks lead to when people involved in the drugs war start to attack each other. Innocents are caught up in it, which is precisely what will happen if we do not begin to take this threat more seriously. A few weeks ago the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform described the threat to the State as being greater than at any time since the Anglo-Irish agreement was signed. I am surprised that the reports in this regard did not result in more security analysis by the media because this is warranted. It is imperative that we do not sleepwalk into a situation where we will find ourselves having to deal on a regular basis with dissident republican violence. It is truly shocking that a man was shot dead on a doorstep. It was the first gun murder in Dundalk since 2000. This occurrence has the potential to haunt a new generation of young people in the way it haunted my childhood. It is an appalling background against which to grow up. With all my being, I do not want to see a return to it and, therefore, ask the Leader to consider the contribution the Seanad might make in that regard. Perhaps we might invite the Minister to come the House to give us his assessment of the threat posed. We cannot return to the bad old days.