Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will begin by congratulating Vicky Phelan on being included on the BBC list of trailblazers, leaders and everyday heroes. We all know Vicky Phelan took on the State when she discovered that she had been given an incorrect smear test result.Instead of accepting a gagging order by the State, she went on and was able to reveal the magnitude and scale of the CervicalCheck scandal, and many women who were kept in the dark had a light shone on why they were suffering and given incorrect smear results. I congratulate her and commend her on her hard work and service to the State.

I congratulate the Irish rugby team on its victory last weekend. It shows that dedication, commitment and hard work, not only by the players and management but also by backroom staff, physiotherapists, doctors and everyone else involved in the team, pay off. I congratulate them all.

On a more serious note, I would like to raise the issue of crime in the city. I heard anecdotal evidence about a couple in their 60s who were mugged while walking home in a quiet suburban area at 10.30 p.m. in the evening. The lady's arm was broken in the process. There are thugs on our streets and nothing seems to deter them. They do not seem to have any respect for the rule of law. The issue is that gardaí are not on the beat anymore. They are not very visible on our streets. I have been saying time and again in this House that we need an increase in community policing. The Leader will say the Government has increased the number of trainee gardaí in Templemore but we are just not seeing them on the beat. We need to see them on the beat. One does not see them walking the streets of Dublin. We do not have the connection we used to have. I used to know the name of the community garda in every area in Dublin, including mine. That connection just does not exist anymore. The Government needs to examine this to ensure a connection between the youth and community gardaí.

The third issue I would like to raise is housing. Rents are currently 30% higher than they were at the peak of the Celtic tiger era. The average rent is €1,300 per month. We know that rent pressure zones, RPZs, are simply not working. There are too many exemptions. Landlords are saying they are giving the place a lick of paint or that family members are moving in. It does not seem that those affected will be getting their dream homes, and they are certainly not getting any rent certainty. It is very frightening for families living in rental accommodation. They just do not know whether they will be in it in the next six months. They deserve to know they will have a roof over their heads in the next year.