Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House and congratulate her on her elevation to Tánaiste. I congratulate her too for bringing forward this legislation as rapidly as is possible in the system in which we work.

I find myself wondering where we have come from in this country. I remember as a young man in Salthill in Galway witnessing a stand-off one night outside the Hangar ballroom between a group of thugs from Dublin on one side and a group of thugs from Galway on the other. There was one garda on his own standing in the middle but neither group would move because he was there. Where have we gone? Today, we have a situation where thugs wander around Dublin city with firearms. I carried firearms for ten years of my life and I learned to respect them at all levels. I have fired almost every type of weapon there is to fire. The one thing I learned from the earliest time was how dangerous an instrument they are. Criminals will open fire in crowded areas and in the middle of groups. They do not care about the likelihood of ricochets, who they kill or how they kill them for that matter. What the Minister is doing is commendable.

However, I am a little concerned we need to bring on more trained gardaí faster. I know the Minister is constrained in the time it takes to train a garda but there is no point in moving a garda out of one area to arm him or her in another, meaning somewhere else is missing out. I know the Minister is doing her best and Templemore college is working hard to get gardaí on the streets as quickly as possible.

The Bill suggests we are after a particular type of criminal. Last year, I spoke about my concerns about gambling and the proceeds of crime. I am aware of one particular betting shop where one particular customer, who is now residing as a guest of Her Majesty in Manchester, would throw €20,000 on the counter every Saturday and tell the guys behind the counter to put a couple of bob on every favourite for the day. If I walked into AIB, Bank of Ireland or Ulster Bank with €20,000 today, they would want to know from where I got it. There are no regulations which force gambling institutions or organisations to inquire as to where the money for a bet came from. It is very easy to throw to throw €20,000 behind a betting shop’s counter, if one is willing to lose €10,000 of it to wash it through the system. The Minister knows I have an amendment on this area, which I hope the Government will take on board.

We really have to move in on all the areas in which these criminals work. The particular guy I referred to derives his money from trafficking young women into Ireland, beating them to a pulp until such a time as they are prepared to act as prostitutes. Then the revenue he raises from that, he cleanses by putting it on horses.We heard of a betting slip for €37,000 being taken off one of the thugs who was arrested. I could not afford to put €3.70 on a horse, let alone €37,000. If people can do this, it is important that while the Bill seeks to tackle mid-level criminals, many of the thugs hide behind mid-level criminals. They can cleanse their dirty money through betting shops and the gambling system. A provision to address this should be included in the legislation. The Minister had intended to bring the gambling Bill before the House and I acknowledge there have been problems with that. I hope she finds a resolution in the near future in order that the Bill can be brought forward.

Unfortunately, there is a hierarchy on the streets. Some of these guys do not care who they injure or how they injure them. They have a commitment to meet because they owe the guy up the food chain money. The only way to pay that off is either through stealing or another criminal act. I wish the Minister all the best with the Bill. She is working hard in this area and she is doing all she can. I passed a rapid response vehicle the other day but I am a little concerned about them. One of my colleagues referred earlier to "chasing them down". Sometimes in chasing these criminals, innocent people are killed in road traffic accidents and so on. I hope substantial amounts raised through the CAB are put into the training of gardaí as expert drivers and expert marksmen in the use of weapons, which can cause fair destruction.

I compliment the Minister on what she is doing. I will table an amendment on Committee Stage and I will support a number of amendments that will be tabled by colleagues. I wish her the best with the legislation which, I hope, passes quickly.