Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleague, Senator O'Mahony, for stepping in for me, as I was engaged with my nominating body. I welcome the Minister to the House and I commend Senator Gallagher on what is a very important piece of legislation. I am delighted that the Government is not opposing it, in a similar manner in which we did not oppose and worked with Senator Ó Céidigh when he brought his perjury Bill to the House, which I was delighted to see pass through this House unopposed. The Government worked constructively with Senator Ó Céidigh to ensure that the Bill was improved. The apparatus of the Minister's office, his officials, the Attorney General and all other stakeholders worked to see that this Bill was something that this House as a whole and collective body could be very proud of. We can see any reason why the same "meithealship" cannot prevail with Senator Gallagher's Bill as we all fully agree with its principle and motivation. We have all seen the people at the front line of our emergency services throughout this country putting their lives on the line to help people in search and rescue as well as search and recovery missions who deal with intricate, difficult and challenging terrain that can be extremely volatile as to people's health and safety, and lives. Where thugs exacerbate and compound these challenges by deliberately going out to harm these people and make their front-line job more difficult is totally reprehensible. Every citizen in this country with any kind of moral fibre within their conscience would have an issue with that. As legislators we are all on the one hymn sheet when it comes to this issue. There is precedent for what Senator Gallagher is trying to achieve. If a garda is murdered in the line of duty, for example, this is a capital offence, and my understanding is that a life sentence is the immediate consequence of that and there are no mitigating circumstances where that can be evaporated in anyway. The principle that the Senator wishes to achieve here is already recognised by the State. We should look to further expanding what the Senator is trying to achieve with this Bill in that people who provide essential services such as those driving buses, trains, on the Luas and taxi drivers, who ensure that people get home safely at night, could all be considered as part of what the Senator is seeking to do here. They are providing front-line essential services to assist the general public in going about their lives on a daily basis in a safe, secure and comfortable manner.

As an Oireachtas, we need to embrace the principle of what we are trying to achieve in this Bill. I have no doubt that the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, is of the same mind. We all want to see a safe, secure, unintimidating environment. Putting the law in place is one thing. Another, however, to is ensure that the resources are channelled to make the law effective. That is where the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, has really shone. We have seen the Garda numbers coming from Templemore in recent times and what Commissioner Harris has achieved by putting people onto the front line as we deal with very difficult situations.

We saw the petrol bombing of a home in Drogheda again last night. This is reprehensible behaviour. An Garda Síochána and this Government will in no way shirk in their response to this situation. We will take these people on, will defeat them, ensure that they are brought to justice, and we will ensure that the people of Drogheda will be able to walk around their town day and night in a safe and secure environment. This will be achieved, not just in Drogheda but in every street, town, city and village in this country.

I am looking forward at 6 p.m. this evening to a very fruitful and informative engagement with Commissioner Harris who will be attending the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice and Equality to give us an update on the work he is doing.

We all have a responsibility in this House to work together. We have demonstrated this in many cases over the last three years and as I already referenced in Senator Ó Céidigh's Bill today. I would like to see that type of co-operation extended to the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill, where the Minister and I and other Members have spent nearly 150 hours non-stop in this Chamber dealing with all sorts of scenarios, primarily of a filibustering nature, where walk-through votes are called, with two to one majorities.

We are here to talk about Senator Gallagher's Bill and it is one of the better Bills that I have seen come through this House and I commend him for it. We on this side of the House will do anything we can to enhance it and bring it to fruition, where someday, hopefully in the not too distant future, President Higgins will sign it and it will become the law of the land.