John Kelly (Labour)

I share the sentiments of Senator Tom Sheahan, not on his right to walk down O'Connell Street in September but on what he sees on it. I raised this matter in the Seanad on a previous occasion. It is embarrassing to be Irish and view what is happening on O'Connell Street. For every beggar, wino and druggie there is one tourist. The ratio seems to be 1:1. In walking down the street a person will be approached four or five times for money. It is like walking through a pack of zombies. It really is that serious. I call on the Leader to ask the Minister to insist on Dublin City Council introducing by-laws to cover situations such as this. It is a bad sign for our capital city. One could go to many other capital cities, but one would not find what one finds on O'Connell Street. To a degree, therefore, I agree with Senator Tom Sheahan.