Denis Landy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief as I know that the Minister of State is under pressure because he has to attend another event, at least he indicated to me that he was. I thank the Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy McGinley, for his response to this motion. This debate and motion provided an opportunity for us within the Labour group and our colleagues in Fine Gael to bring forward several issues of concern to us and to get clarity on how the Government is addressing these issues. I feel confident that as a result of the response from the Minister of State we will see positive responses.

I am confident that as a result of the response we received from the Minister we will see positive responses. However, I stress and urge that Garda numbers should be kept at the optimum, in line with budgets. That is the most important aspect of our motion. Senator Conway echoed my point that the Community Alert and Neighbourhood Watch initiatives should be re-energised by a further Government initiative. These initiatives have been in existence since 1985. I was involved in setting up Community Alert and Neighbourhood Watch groups in my own town and in the rural areas around Carrick-on-Suir. Like every organisation, the people who get involved initially grow older and people move on. An initiative from the Government on this particular item would not cost a great amount of money but it would re-emphasise and refocus communities and the attention of the present Government to stay on top of the crime issue. I refer in particular to rural Ireland.