Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Will the Leader invite the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Charles Flanagan, to come to the House to discuss the spread of rural crime? The problem is really very serious. Fear stalks the land because of what has happened quite recently. I refer to the brutal attack on Mr. Richie McKelvey from Brosna, outside Birr, a 54 year old batchelor who was beaten and thrown into a shed and is now afraid to go back again. His sister, Ms Annette Meacle, from Kilcormack, County Offaly, has said the position in rural Ireland is very serious. What action will the Minister and the acting Garda Commissioner, Mr. Donal Ó Cualáin, take to deal with the problem? I appreciate that Operation Thor has been launched again. It has been ongoing since 2015. However, those involved seem to be fearless criminals and immune from conviction. They are travelling the main highways and hitting rural areas seriously. What action will the Government take? I have great respect for the Minister for Justice and Equality who is from a rural area and has long experience in public life. He must provide leadership on this issue.

Drug use is also spreading into rural areas, which was never the case in my time. Drugs are now available in rural areas in counties such as Roscommon. There are people who are pushing drugs on young people who are in fear of the drug barons who, if they do not get their money back, send thugs to deal with the matter. The people in question will not give evidence to the Garda. We, in this House, have a responsibility. We should look at the example set by the late Tony Gregory who was very courageous in Dáil Éireann in naming and shaming the drug barons. If gardaí were to come to me to say they seriously suspect certain individuals are drug pushers but that there is not enough evidence to convict them, I would certainly be happy to use parliamentary privilege to name and shame them in this House. It would not be an abuse of parliamentary privilege but rather a use of it to bring these criminals to task. I have zero tolerance of anyone who sells drugs to a young person, or any person for that matter, and spreads this evil force around the countryside. We have to take particular action to deal with it. Why does the Garda not use surveillance cameras on major roads? Cameras should be placed on the Athlone bypass and in Rooskey and linked with a central intelligence agency. We do not make enough use of technology in taking on the criminals. It is about time we used the law and the technology available to fight them. This is a war. We need to wage war on the criminals who are waging war against the people living in rural Ireland. I am with them against the criminals and will back the Garda in whatever action it takes to bring them to justice. Will the Leader ask the Minister for Justice and Equality to come before this House to outline exactly what action he is going to take in that regard?