Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I raise the issue of crime on our streets. We have seen a surge since the pandemic of groups of teenagers terrorising people on our streets. There has been a substantial increase in homophobic and xenophobic attacks. Every second day, we see a video go viral on the Internet of people being attacked. They are shared widely and it is terrifying. It puts people off going into the city to socialise and it puts businesses off setting up and reopening. We need to see a policing plan in place. Looking at these videos, there does not seem to be any police presence interfering with or ensuring that the attacks stop. It would be great to know if the Garda Commissioner has a specific plan relating to the police presence, especially in the evenings, in our inner city where people tend to go to socialise. The videos on social media are horrific and terrifying. I cannot stress that enough.

I also send my condolences and those of the Fianna Fáil group to the family of Eileen Rushe, cervical cancer campaigner and HPV vaccine advocate, who died tragically. She continued, after her diagnosis, to urge people to avail of screening services. In her memory, we really should continue to convey that strong and important message.