Linda Nelson Murray (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

These were teenage boys who thought it was hilarious to push one person against another like dominoes with the last person pushing my daughter to the ground. Thankfully, she was not injured physically but it did take a while to get her back out shopping again. I reported it to the centre and the response was to say it was sorry it had happened and there was nothing it could do because they would just come back the next day. Then I reported it to the Garda. The individual garda was very helpful but also advised there was no point in brining it back again because it could not be brought further, so we just sucked it up like everyone in our community does every day. People are worried about getting out of their cars at supermarkets. If you cannot shop in peace without harassment, what does the future hold?

Another issue is people’s fear of being sued for defamation if they approach someone suspected of having stolen goods from the premises. Between 2009 to 2022, Ireland had more defamation cases than the UK, a jurisdiction with 12 times Ireland’s population. Businesses are playing their part and now the Department of Justice needs to play its part. What plans are there to protect businesses and their employees from the explosion of retail crime? How can we help communities ravaged by antisocial behaviour? When will Meath get more gardaí? I do not mean gardaí to fill retirements but an increase.

I note the Minister’s comment that once the Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024 is enacted "the provisions of the Bill dealing with retail defamation will provide for balancing of the rights of retailers and consumers, promote good practice among retailers and allow retailers to deal effectively with unwarranted claims". I urge the Minister to stop these cases at source so they do not cause retailers thousands in legal fees. Were we to work out how many defamation cases there are in Ireland by cost, it would add up to about €70 million. Small businesses just cannot afford that.