Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is a campaign launched by Sage Advocacy, a group which advocates for elderly people. It wants them to have the right to be unwise when making decisions about where they want to live or be cared for. Members might remember that last year a caller to Joe Duffy's "Liveline" show, Sadie, had been left in a nursing home by her family who very much loved her, as she acknowledged. However, after her injury had healed, she very much wanted to go home to be close to her friends and take part in bridge games. Thankfully, as we all learned, after she spoke to Joe Duffy, her family listened to her and she went home. It was a really nice story. The assisted decision-making legislation has autonomy and the right to self-determination at its heart. Therefore, the campaign is welcome as we need to be more conscious of people's wishes as they grow older. Obviously, there are instances where an enduring power of attorney needs to be invoked, but sometimes people can still make small decisions. They should be allowed to remain autonomous for as long as they can.

I raise the issue of crime in Dublin city where there have been three shootings in the last week. There was a stabbing yesterday on Thomas Street, while cars were burned out in Dolphin's Barn. There are huge issues with gangland and non-gangland crime in the city. We need to have a debate in the House as we need to really look at what is going on in the city. People are absolutely terrified. In the latest shooting neighbours were nearly run down by the getaway cars. It is not right when innocent bystanders are directly affected by the actions of those taking part in gangland activities. This has been ongoing for a long time and we need to look at how the issue can be resolved. I know that the Taoiseach is going out, but we need to see the provision of resources. A few million euro was allocated to tackle gangland crime in the north inner city, but other parts of the city were not so lucky and have not been allocated the same resources, including the south-west inner city and the south inner city. There is a need to put proper funding structures in place to help the Garda and ensure innocent people in local communities will not feel afraid when going about their business.