Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for the invitation. I will be in the area to respond and meet with the Senator, others and the community. This needs to be a holistic and long-term response. It cannot just be overnight and in the coming weeks.

The Senator touched on a longer-term and wider issue which is organised crime. People are preying on young people because they can give them nice things and show them a life that they think is wonderful which really leads them down only one path which is to prison that the Senator mentioned or even worse. I hope to publish legislation in the coming weeks on which we have been working around the coercion of minors, to try to prevent younger people being captured into this life which is very difficult to get out of. It means that communities such as this are in a constant spiral of never being able to get out. It is part of the wider problem with which we need to deal. Obviously I look forward to working with the Senator on that legislation and making sure we can progress it. I thank the Senator for raising this issue and I look forward to meeting with her and members of the community in the coming week or so.