I have a reply on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, to the topical issue as originally put forward. I was here earlier on for the Deputy's intervention. I am very glad to have an opportunity to make this point. From where I was sitting, I felt and still feel that some of the Deputy's comments were totally unacceptable. An Garda Síochána is an organisation which this country can be justly proud of. It investigates all crimes equally and fairly. There was a major attempt made by the Deputy and his colleague to politicise or to imply that there were other motivations or reasons why An Garda Síochána was not acting in a particular case. I think that is wrong. I acknowledge and endorse the remarks the Minister, Deputy Burke, made in his answer to the Deputy in relation to the bravery and wonderful contribution people make when they come to our country. They should never have to encounter that type of violence but I will stand by An Garda Síochána. I will not ever sit and listen to Deputies who I believe, for political point-scoring reasons, are trying to undermine one of the institutions of the State. On the more general point, I will outline some of what we are doing. I assure the Deputy that we are tackling the scourge of drug dealing and targeting organised crime groups who intimidate and inflict violence and misery on families. Drug-related intimidation is a pervasive issue that inflicts profound harm on individuals and families. I am conscious that such intimidation can be a terrifying experience for families. I agree with the Deputy that, unfortunately, we have seen several incidents of this serious and reprehensible criminal behaviour recently. I assure him though that tackling drug intimidation is a major priority for An Garda Síochána, which he probably does not accept. It is successful in securing convictions and putting those responsible behind bars. The Garda Commissioner has tasked an inspector in every Garda division to respond to the issue of drug-related intimidation. Investigations and convictions cannot happen, however, without people coming forward and reporting instances of drug-related violence and intimidation. We want to significantly reduce the harms caused to families and communities by illicit drug use. The three main policy objectives of the Minister in this area are: tackling organised crime; minimising the harms caused to those with addiction issues; and diverting people from involvement in crime. We know that organised crime groups are the ones carrying out these threats. The Government is fully committed to providing An Garda Síochána with the resources needed to fight organised crime. That is reflected, and again the Deputy will probably not give us any credit for this, in a budget of €2.74 billion in 2026. An Garda Síochána operates Operation Tara, which aims to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking networks, at all levels, which is again something the Deputy will probably just dismiss. Under Operation Tara, individuals and groups involved in the drug trade are the target of enforcement activity based on intelligence and the latest crime trends. In terms of minimising harms, An Garda Síochána takes the issue of drug-related intimidation extremely seriously. The Garda will afford the person or family subject to a threat with the best level of security, advice and support that can be offered. Most importantly, An Garda Síochána will deal with this issue in the utmost confidential and secure manner. In May of last year, the Minister and Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, launched the drug-related intimidation and violence engagement, DRIVE, project. DRIVE brings together law enforcement, health services, social services and community organisations to tackle drug-related intimidation from multiple perspectives. It operates on a national scale across Ireland, ensuring consistent and comprehensive support in all regions. DRIVE’s primary goal is to establish effective systems and structures for a unified, timely and sensitive response to drug-related intimidation. It focuses on responding to incidents, supporting those affected and preventing future occurrences. There are also over 400 publicly-funded drug services, including family support services, across the country, which advise and support people affected by drug-related intimidation.

Sentiment score: -0.13

We are doing stuff. I will take a few moments to outline what we are doing. Among the number of key actions we have taken is to increase the maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder from ten years to life and enact new laws that criminalise the grooming of children into a life of crime, which is legislation that is at the forefront of anything any other European country is doing. We are drafting new laws that will provide for the use of facial recognition technology and investigation of certain drug offences. We are rolling out the support programme to break the link between gangs and the children they try to recruit. I also mention in particular the Criminal Assets Bureau. The motivator for all the organised crime groups when it comes to dealing drugs is money. CAB is at the forefront of fighting organised crime in this country and disrupting its activities. The Minister is progressing legislation that will strengthen the State's ability to seize criminal assets and target the proceeds of crime. The new Bill was also speed up the process of disposing of seized assets. This Government is fully committed to fighting drug gangs, crime and resourcing An Garda Síochána. It is fully committed to making sure that is done in a way that treats everybody fairly and equally, enables An Garda Síochána to go after people who are committing crimes that we do not want to see and doing everything in our power to ensure that the Garda has the resources to tackle them

Sentiment score: -0.19