Michael D'Arcy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Now that we are into the long dark winter nights, people find they are no longer safe in their homes and this is a real concern. The level of criminality in the Traveller community is now out of control. It is important to qualify this statement, because I do not want anybody to say I am against Travellers. I certainly am not. However, it is not acceptable that one sector of society seems to choose to ignore the boundaries by which we all live. The Traveller community today does not take responsibility for its own members. I have been informed by senior members of the Garda that very serious crime is occurring within the Traveller community at a level never before seen. I call on the Minister for Justice and Equality to come to the House to debate serious criminality, during which we can scope further the actions of the Garda to see whether they are able to impact on the level of crime in the Traveller community. It cannot be left unchecked because it is burgeoning and spiralling upwards in a way which is not acceptable.