Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh maith agat. That is very generous of you. I wish to add my voice to those across the House in condemnation of the behaviour of individuals outside the House. I commend the Garda Síochána and, indeed, members of the staff of this House. The 300 or 400 staff who work full time in the Houses have an expectation that they can come to and go home from work. I am always mindful of speaking about this type of issue because we are just feeding into the headline grabbing which some of these individuals are seeking. They want us to be outraged and to express our outrage in order that they can get headlines. To them, in whatever warped sense of political judgment they have, they believe that by us being outraged and disgusted that it feeds into whatever they are trying to achieve. It would be no harm if there was a re-examination of the protocols in place between the Houses of the Oireachtas and the Garda Síochána for this type of protest. It is not fair that anybody should have his or her car damaged. It is not fair that any member of the Garda should be injured and knocked unconscious. Neither is it fair that any Member of the House or any member of staff of this House should not be able to leave the House in safety and with dignity.