Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Fitzpatrick for introducing the Bill. It is important that retailers and retail staff are protected. The suggestion that it would be extended to hospitality workers should be considered. Having worked in bars and restaurants and having been a retailer myself at one stage, I know quite well the challenges that retailers are facing.

I do not think there is anything in this Bill that people will argue about or that is contentious because my understanding is that, if someone is assaulted, it is an offence. As Senator Ryan said, the difficulty is that there is not the necessary enforcement of those offences, and there needs to be.You can introduce all the laws in the world, but unless they are enforced and resources are put into policing them, it does not really matter. That is not to diminish the purpose of the Bill. In 2024, the Dublin city task force produced a report about improving the public realm and living in Dublin. That would be of benefit to retailers. However, it seems to be gathering dust. It is having no impact on inner city communities and the area it covers does not extend into the south inner city. It covers Westmoreland Street and around Trinity College, but that is the entire extent. You have a south inner city community and a north inner city community. The previous Mulvey report divided the one community into two, in the context of resources, facilities and community resources for community and youth clubs.

While the Bill is welcome, retailers are under siege. Up around Moore Street the place is horrific to shop in. It is the Senator's own constituency, and she knows it well. There are plans to improve that. Sinn Féin had a Bill to improve it and bring culture and arts back into Moore Street. That is what we have to do. We are not going to police our way out of it. As Senator Clonan said, there have to be other measures, but we have to ensure policing resources are put in place and that is not happening. Retailers feel under siege at the moment. That has not happened overnight. It has not happened in the past few months. It happened under a Fine Gael Minister for Justice and that is the reality. I know we are not supposed to be overly political here, but the reality is that a Fine Gael Minister for Justice oversaw the demise of the retail sector in Dublin and right across the country. We cannot just wipe the slate clean as if Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil had nothing to do with the demise of the retail sector over the past few years. They are responsible for that demise and the sense of terror and fear people working in the retail sector have.