Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

A current RTE series that deals with the drugs trade is a realistic re-enactment of what is happening on the ground in the capital. It depicts a criminal underworld which is absolutely ruthless, powerful and brutal. It results in the ruination of thousands of young lives and the commission of murders with impunity. The criminal underworld in rural and provincial Ireland is equally brutal, arrogant and ruthless. It is destroying thousands of young lives. Murders are regularly committed by gangs in rural Ireland. The proposal to close Garda stations is contrary to common sense. It will not guarantee the safety of people in rural Ireland. It will not protect young people against drug pushers. It sends the wrong message to criminal gangs that are operating as we speak. In the long run, it will not achieve any savings.

The fallout from these crimes will eventually have to be dealt with by the taxpayer. I am keenly aware of the difficult task faced by the current Government and by any Government that tries to frame a budget at a time of crisis. I say to the Government genuinely, as I did when the Army barracks were being closed, that we have never needed a heightened security profile in every corner of Ireland more than we need it now. Above all else, we must give priority to people's lives. We must protect young people from being destroyed. I appeal to the Government to revisit the proposal to close 34 Garda stations. It is wrong. It is wrong. It is wrong.