Tom Shehan (Fine Gael)

The most frequently used word in the debate on the Bill is intimidation. The doublespeak of my colleague from County Waterford was referred to earlier. He seeks further resources for the Garda Síochána. Adequate resources are provided to the Garda Síochána if we did not have gangs and organised crime. Senator Hayden referred to the puppeteers behind these organised gangs. Who is pulling the strings?

There has been no reference to intimidation of the Garda Síochána. Recently, Sinn Féin held its national conference, its Ard-Fheis, in Killarney and a member of the Garda Síochána told me that the people organising the conference tried to dictate what they wanted from the Garda organisation. They did not want any member of the Garda Síochána in plain clothes; they wanted them all in uniform. They wanted no security within the complex and wanted to provide their own security. A member of the Garda Síochána died in tragic circumstances in County Kerry recently. A member of Sinn Féin said to a friend of mine in the Garda Síochána that they would have done a much cleaner job.