Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the fulsome apology the Taoiseach made on behalf of the Government and the Irish people for the treatment of the ladies in the Magdalen laundries. It was welcome, fulsome and honest, and it is certainly a day on which we can now move on to make redress in the financial and other ways required by these ladies who suffered so gravely in these institutions.

I want to put on the record of the House that I welcome the Taoiseach's statement without reservation. He did the right thing yesterday and I certainly welcome that on behalf of my colleagues in Fianna Fáil.

Have the Leader and the leader of the Labour Party group received any clarification as to when the Minister for Social Protection received the Mangan report of the advisory group on tax and social welfare, which deals with proposals on child benefit? The report is dated 27 March 2012. I raised this issue yesterday. Senator Bacik said she did not believe the Minister had the report since last March. I know she did. We need the Minister to come here very soon to explain why when we debated the budget and the Social Welfare Act here, she put on the record of the House that she would debate the report when it was available. The report has been available since last March so I put it to the Leader that the Minister misled the House and I would like her to be given an opportunity to come here and correct the record and have a proper, open debate on child benefit. I said that we would play a constructive part in that.

Last week, I raised the situation pertaining to the Dublin north metropolitan region of An Garda Síochána in the House. There were no operational Garda vehicles available for 4.5 hours on the morning of 10 February 2013. The Garda press office denied it but it is a fact that this was the case and our gardaí are not properly resourced. A lady contacted me yesterday who was attacked and robbed in Clare Hall in north Dublin on 10 February. Thankfully, she was not badly injured. The only gardaí available to see her were two gardaí in a two-person Garda van. The gardaí were excellent and responded to her very well but they had to give that lady change out of their own pockets for her to get a bus home to Swords because they had no Garda car available. That is not on and is absolutely disgraceful. It is not the policing we deserve and our citizens require. It is certainly not the gardaí's fault. The resources they are left with are scant in the main.

I have four questions for the Leader. Does this Government respect the gardaí? Does the Leader feel the gardaí are properly resourced? Does he believe the gardaí are overpaid? Does he believe that rank-and-file gardaí should take a pay cut? Once again, I will table an amendment to the Order of Business that the Minister for Justice and Equality come to the House to answer the four questions I put down today and explain how he intends to address the situation with An Garda Síochána when he has lost the confidence of every rank and file member of the gardaí? This is an unprecedented situation that is getting worse by the day. I want the Minister to state directly whether he respects or values the gardaí because his actions show that he does not. I am formally proposing that amendment to the Order of Business.