Paul Nicholas Gogarty
Dublin Mid-West · Independent · Ireland
“As I have mentioned in the House before, if a border poll passes by 52% to 48%, the legal threshold of the Good Friday Agreement is met but the social consensus is not and moving 800,000 citizens into a new state against their explicit, democratic will does risk causing civil unrest.”
“We also have other gaps that are much smaller, like a ten-year phased transition, reducing the net annual cost to between €2.5 billion and €3 billion. We then had the middle figure of about €11 billion. We actually do not know how much it is going to cost but we do know it is going to cost something.”
“For example, adopting a single currency, getting rid of the exchange rate volatility and the transaction costs for cross-Border businesses are all advantages.”
“I would be loath to call a border poll right now because of the risks associated with that, but if a border poll did occur, the State would have to be prepared for the huge structural disruptions that would follow, so we have to start working now - that is why this debate is welcome - without arrogantly presuming it is going to become a r…”
“I have been listening to this debate in my office since Deputy Currie started her contribution. I always follow these debates on Irish unity with interest as someone who wants to see a united Ireland by consent.”
“Some have been mentioned in this House, such as a devolved regional assembly in Stormont to preserve local governance for the unionist community, a shared bill of rights protecting the dual Irish-British citizenship, and re-evaluating our relationship with the Commonwealth.”
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“What we are missing is strategic infrastructural planning where we use that windfall receipt and the Apple money to put us on a more stable footing in the years ahead such as by front-loading the water services infrastructure, improving the grid and energy generation potential to make us a net exporter rather than the €6 billion we are spending on imports, and gearing up for a massive increase in homegrown prefabricated and modular housing and apprenticeships to go alongside it. I will elaborate further on some of these issues tomorrow as well as on some of specifics of the budget, but on a macro level, we are missing an opportunity where we could have started the long-term planning in this budget.”
“Last year, as the Minister outlined, the national reserve fund was dissolved but transferred approximately €8.4 billion to the new future fund and the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund. Further funds have been added this year, which on one hand I welcome for the prudence, but given what is facing us down the line, we are missing out on opportunities that will cost us all massively in the long run. As the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, stated, if we are going to have €40 billion built up in long-term funds by the end of the Government term, we are actually destroying our future.”
“Ronald McDonald gets the tax breaks while the McDonald family members living in Clondalkin, Lucan, Palmerstown and so on struggle to keep up with costs. What would have been more sensible was the extension of the increasing cost of business grant or the power-up grant, which could have been more targeted for small business in this sector. On the macro level, I welcome the medium-term fiscal and structural plan, which reflects the advisory council's call for more medium-term planning. It is not quite multi-annual funding but it is a start. As revenues have been so unprecedented in recent years, we have been putting away some money. We put away €2 billion in 2022 and €4 billion in 2023, which the Fiscal Advisory Council said was relatively small in comparison to the overall estimated excess corporation tax receipts.”
“The measures that have been announced in these areas are so incremental as to have no meaningful effect. Instead, we have helped wealthy developers and investors with an ill-thought-out and premature reduction in VAT for apartment building, a move that ignores the fundamental issues behind the housing crisis, which is one primarily of supply, from infrastructure to planning, to tendering, to training enough construction workers. It is also not helped by an overseas investment policy that places jobs for non-essential workers - localisation workers, for example - in the highest demand housing areas. We have seen a generalised reduction in VAT for the hospitality sector, and while the small café benefits, so, too, does the larger entity that is making massive profits.”
“Indeed it is, but uncertainty was predicted before Trump's tariffs and any truly fiscally responsible Government would have reflected this in decisions made during last year's giveaway budget. If a little dampening down was done last year in reducing the sweeteners, there might have been a little more in the coffers this year and its reduction in largess would not have been noticed to the same extent. This budget talks the talk on being financially responsible but shows no signs of cutting wastage and still finds room for money to be thrown out, albeit to the wrong sectors. On the day-to-day side of things, this budget is a missed opportunity to help carers, people with disabilities and other vulnerable people, particularly in early years education. It could have provided a bit more to help those dealing with the increased cost of living.”
“Before this budget, it stated: Given that the economy is performing well, this is not a time for a large budget package. Budgetary policy is already providing significant support. After excluding excess corporation tax receipts, the government is spending more than [it] collects in underlying revenue. The Government is spending more than it collects in underlying revenue. Just think about that. After excluding these excess corporation tax receipts, the Government is not heeding the call. Or, rather, it has heeded the call this year but it did not in previous years. It did set a relatively small portion aside for areas that were historically underfunded. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, said at the start of his contribution that uncertainty was the defining feature of the global economy this year.”
“However, if Fianna Fáil's economic policies post-2000 made the boom boomier, they also made the crash an absolute wreck. We know how the rest turned out. Tough, unpopular decisions had to be made to clean up the mess and policies were put in place to ensure that such a disaster could never happen again. Or could it? One of the measures put in place was the establishment of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, the aim of which was to provide independent oversight and not let politicians get carried away. It is always focused on financial prudence but for some years - it was especially relevant post Covid - the advisory council, the so-called watchdog, has being urging extra-special caution. It warns that the corporate tax receipts windfall could dry up at any time and should not be factored into economic deliberations.”
“While some like Anne Pettifor and Nouriel Roubini sounded warnings internationally, not to mention our own Jim Power and David McWilliams, here in Ireland few politicians if any thought for a second that a Wile E. Coyote moment was coming and that things would fall off a cliff globally and particularly in Irish finance. If they did, nobody was letting on. Fianna Fáil was re-elected for a third successive term on the back of a massive giveaway budget. After just a few months in office, the mood music changed. The budget of October 2007 was a more muted affair, still splashing the cash, but there was a knowledge that the revenues were beginning to dry up. The global economic crash and banking crisis that followed hit many countries worldwide.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on budget 2026. In this contribution, I would like to mainly focus on the macro issues and some of the key measures announced, while in my slot tomorrow I hope to go more into individual measures in terms of what is welcome, what is unwelcome and what is a missed opportunity. There are plenty of missed opportunities both day to day and strategic. First, and I do not think too many people have, we need to look at the context. This budget has echoes of 2007. In the budget before the election of that year, all political parties, including the one I was then a member of, albeit to a lesser extent, called for increased spending across the board. People ignored the signs where we were depending on the service sector to keep the party going. It appeared as if the Celtic tiger would never end.”
“We are still spending too much on horses and greyhounds, as I have mentioned many times. We also need to think smarter about how we spend our money. We must think laterally and outside the box.”
“Why not put five-a-side pitches on top and leave room down on the ground for GAA, rugby and cricket pitches? With climate change, we will need more all-weather pitches, whether grass or synthetic. We need to look more at multi-use funding. Years ago, I called for schools to function also as community hubs, subject to child protection, with different rooms suitable for different groups at different hours of the day and with solar panels installed. Every new school should have a full-size pitch on which soccer can be played. It could be used by the school during the day and could operate as a community hub in the evening. That has never been done. We are wasting money when we could be creative if we had some more cross-departmental co-operation. Funding must be increased.”
“One cannot say much in two minutes but the point I will make is that funding is welcome but we need more of it. Capital projects have a huge return, especially, as others have noted, in terms of working with sports clubs. I support what my colleague Deputy Fitzmaurice said about a loan scheme to top up funding. We also need to look to more creative thinking. In my constituency, Clonburris strategic development zone, SDZ, will be home to 11,000 houses and 20,000 people but it does not have a fraction of the pitch capacity it needs. There is a case for building up in the inner city and in rapidly growing suburban areas like Clonburris. Five-a-side pitches can be put on rooftops. The City Edge initiative by Dublin City Council and South Dublin County Council is seeing development on old industrial land.”
“Regarding the Danish Presidency of the EU, there is the historic situation where Danish Jews were rescued during the Second World War and it feels a strong friendship bond with Israel. As with us and the US, friends should tell their friends the story like it is. Denmark as EU President needs to step up to the mark and be more forthright in calling out Israeli atrocities. Ireland has a role to play in this given our imminent EU Presidency. I congratulate all those taking part in the flotilla and commend the Government on the work it has done to date. We still need to do more because this is literally a life and death situation every single minute.”
“As those giving the testimony pointed out, many of those infants died. They watched malnourished mothers feed their underweight newborns infant formula made with poisonous water. We can never forget that the world abandoned these innocent women and babies. That was in 2024 and was followed by what happened in the first half of 2025. It is absolutely shocking. As I mentioned before to the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and various Ministers, Ireland has played an important role in putting pressure on our EU counterparts. We have done a lot. We need to proceed with the Occupied Territories Bill. If there is any chance of a fresh start, we need to support it and make sure Israel and Hamas support it as well.”
“It is a historical book at this stage because it is from 2024 before the policy of mass starvation by the Israeli regime but it gives witness to so many different voices, not just Palestinian medical practitioners. They mention a letter sent by 99 American physicians, surgeons, nurse practitioners, nurses and midwives to President Biden and Vice President Harris back in the day, which was avoided. They pointed out even then that virtually every child under the age of five had a cough and watery diarrhoea. There were cases of jaundice, hepatitis A infections and malnutrition. In 2024, it led to widespread spontaneous abortions, underweight newborns and an inability of new mothers to breastfeed. This left their newborns at high risk of death given the lack of access to potable water anywhere in Gaza.”
“Last week, I attended the Irish launch of an important book, Diary of Gaza Surgeons: A Witness to the Genocide , which tells the harrowing tale of medical professionals working on the front line. Judgment calls had to be made daily about who to try to save and who could not be saved, often in the face of ongoing bombardment and a massive lack of equipment. Many people died unnecessarily. Innovative surgeries were performed by physically and mentally drained medical volunteers using any tools available - even a chisel and a hammer to open a person's chest at one stage - to try to keep people alive. It is a heartbreaking testimony of life in the midst of relentless attacks, especially targeting women, children and the elderly.”
“There are other voices that need to come to the fore. The way Israel has treated innocent civilians has already, unfortunately, seeded the next generation of fundamentalists who hate Israel and, I would also say, Jewish people in general with intensity. However, there is still a chance for a solution to be found and it will require Europe, in particular, to step up. For too long, out of guilt and other geopolitical factors, Europe been an apologist for Israeli atrocities in Gaza. I am talking about Europe as an entity and not individual countries like Spain and Ireland in particular. As an entity, Europe has been an apologist for the atrocities, the continued planting of the West Bank with illegal settlers and the perpetuation of a conflict that could have reached some form of uneasy but workable accommodation many years back.”
“If Hamas did sign up and release the hostages, it is an imperfect plan but it is the only plan we have right now. I heard with interest my Dáil colleague Catherine Connolly's statement that Hamas is part of the fabric of the Palestinian people. I agree with her in that context - it is absolutely true - but Hamas needs to know, and it has been told in no uncertain terms, including by Arab states, that through its violent actions a number of years back, its adherence to blind ideology, its wish to see Israel obliterated from the map and, most importantly, its cruel and heartless treatment of ordinary Gazan civilians, it is not a credible voice in any future arrangement for Palestine that will allow its citizens to thrive. Yes, it might try to hold on to power, but if it truly loves its own people, it may see the writing on the wall.”
“If it is the only deal on the table right now, and while the world is slowly moving to condemn and isolate Netanyahu and his ilk, but too slowly, by recognising a two-state solution we have seen some progress from European partners. Some have come out condemning the genocide, but this pace is glacial. In a sense, it is to Netanyahu's advantage and it is propped up by the US Administration. In that context only, as to what is on the table, I would urge Hamas - it is obviously not going to listen to Irish parliamentarians - if it truly loves its land and its people, to consider the plan seriously, allowing for the fact that there are other violent fundamentalist factions entrenched in the area that would ignore and fight on nonetheless.”
“It does open that chink, but Netanyahu has been trying to close it off. If it is not accepted by Hamas - and we do not know that yet; the signs are not encouraging - it would still in no way justify any renewed attacks by the Israeli state. The genocide has been going on for a considerable time now. You would sometimes wonder what is left to attack, but even though Gaza has been razed to the ground, there are still so many lives at stake. In that context only, I can see why many people would grudgingly support the plan, I suppose because there is nothing else out there, as a means of immediately halting the ongoing genocide and subjugation of the civilian population.”
“I share others' concerns about what the Israeli state will attempt to do and urge sympathetic elements within that Government and civic society to ensure that the welfare and safety of those seeking to provide humanitarian assistance in a peaceful way is preserved. Obviously, the Israelis like to intimidate. I do not think they would be stupid enough to actually do any real damage, but it is horrific to be subjected to that type of intimidation in the first place, and there is always the risk of something going wrong. We have the proposal from President Trump, his peace plan. Like others, I can see many flaws in that plan. It is an imposed solution that does not take on board the voice of the Palestinian people, nor, in my view, does it open up any real pathway to self-determination.”
“I did not get the opportunity to speak yesterday so, first, I wish to acknowledge the humanitarian work being done by the volunteers on the flotilla, trying to get food and medicine directly to the people of Gaza in the face of starvation, violence and ongoing oppression from the Israeli state. I acknowledge that many of those participating are Irish citizens, as others have said, including our own Senator Chris Andrews and Deputy Barry Heneghan, whom I was honoured to be asked to facilitate by means of providing a vote-pairing arrangement. I wish them the best in their ongoing voyage of hope.”
“She said it should not be necessary if surgeries were carried out, but at the time of the summer recess, 74 children had spent more than three months on the active spinal waiting list, or more than 50% outside the Sláintecare targets. So, while some progress has been made, it has been incredibly slow. It has caused devastation and heartbreak for many families. In this context, will the Government agree to move the Bill through Second Stage? It has been well debated in the Seanad and deserves further deliberation in this House.”
“On a point of order, seeing that my Private Members' business was referenced, the motion asked for ideas from all Members of the House. All parties, with the exception of the Social Democrats, contributed in that respect. The Government allowed the motion to be passed to allow the ideas to be assessed and reported on in six months' time. It was a motion on the consequences of antisocial behaviour. I note the Seanad recently passed all Stages of the Health (Scoliosis Treatment Services) Bill 2024, which aims to set up a specialised scoliosis treatment service for children and adults, resourcing services within and outside the State, and creating maximum waiting time targets. The Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, said she really welcomed the Bill.”
“I reiterate, like everyone else, that first we need to get rid of the multicoloured and multi-smelling products and make them smell like tobacco. We have to get rid of the disposable vapes. Equally, it is not good enough just to have statements on vaping. We need to have legislation and I hope that happens within the next three months or so.”
“I welcome that HHC and some other drugs were classed as illegal earlier this year. Credit where credit is due. As some of my colleagues have mentioned, there is an issue with enforcement and some of these products still appear to be being sold to young people and adults, so enforcement is needed. I also want to reference the pouches which, although it is a pure nicotine issue and their impact might not be to the same extent, they are still dangerous products for young people. They have knock-on effects and even nicotine itself as a pure drug has impacts on the cardiovascular system so we would not be encouraging young people to start to put it between their mouth and gums either. I welcome the fact that this debate was facilitated.”
“Australia tried to have a total ban but saw it led to a black market situation so that is something to be aware of as well. We do not want dangerous products being sold to our young people through the back door, so the products have to be regulated and made accessible to adults - whether we like it or not - but made virtually impossible for young people to access so that sub-market is not created. Germany is considering a ban on flavoured vapes and restrictions on how and where the refillable vapes are sold so I would like there to be a specific tobacco-nicotine-vape shop and get those products out of all convenience and retail stores over a period of time. That might be a way of doing this as well as possibly having a licensing fee for retailers such as the likes of New Zealand is doing.”
“I will go backwards for a second. At the outset of my contribution I mentioned the various things we need to examine in order to protect our young people. I want to reiterate the point about nitrous oxide canisters. It is not a part of this debate but I want to keep throwing this issue out there as it is something that has caused damage as well. What is happening internationally? There are countries that have a record of having zero tolerance on things such as litter, smoking and vaping. Singapore comes to mind, in particular, where it has brought in a total import and sales ban. However, because we are in the European Union that may be more complicated. To take an EU member state, Belgium has banned disposable electronic cigarettes. That is the first step, as well as banning flavours.”
“As others have mentioned, 8% of the population use e-cigarettes daily or occasionally. Among young people, however, 17% of 15- to 24-year-olds use them daily or occasionally. If young people who vape are about three times more likely to start smoking, vaping is part of the problem. As others have mentioned, it is not the solution to give up smoking. It is actually a gateway to smoking. A health research report from 2024 pooled data analysis from different surveys and showed a strong link between vaping and the use not only of cigarettes, but also other substances like marijuana and alcohol. We have all these effects. I mentioned the long-term indicators towards carcinogenic impacts, but asthma is one issue that jumps straight out. We also have the issues of burns, blast injuries, poisonings, lung injury and potentially cancer.”
“Disposable vapes are the drug of choice among young people. What we can do as legislators is to get rid of disposable vapes, full stop. As a side issue, during a previous contribution about cigarette butt tossers I mentioned that 50% of all litter comes from cigarette butts that contain plastic and do not biodegrade. If we are looking at legislation on banning disposable vapes, we should legislate to ban plastic filters in cigarettes so that cigarettes can biodegrade. This activity is creating huge amounts of environmental waste, but we are talking more about the health impacts here. Research from the Health Research Board has revealed that adolescents who use e-cigarettes are three to five times more likely to start smoking tobacco compared to those who have never used e-cigarettes.”
“The key message coming out from some of my colleagues, as well as myself, is that in the short term we have to ban the use of flavours other than tobacco in all vaping products. Deputies have mentioned the sweet smell and I repeat this point. The Minister of State is probably sick of hearing the repetitive contributions about the multicoloured vapes, the different sweet smells and the fact a lot of sweet shops have been thrown in. The Minister of State is aware of it, but we are all reiterating it because it is staring us in the face as legislators and we need to do something about it. If a vape tastes like tobacco, it is going to be much less attractive to young people. It is as simple as that. As Deputy Ó Cearúil referenced, it is why young people were attracted to menthol cigarettes back in the day.”
“Unfortunately, some of my colleagues could not make it. I wish to talk at the outset about protecting our young people. It is not just about vapes, e-cigarettes and nicotine products; it is also about alcohol, nitrous oxide canisters and unfiltered assess to social media. Our young people are being assaulted from all sides like never before. We need to protect them. We have legislative tools to make that a reality. Other people have spoken in various ways with different styles of contribution, but the facts that my colleagues have outlined are all fairly similar. There is less research on vapes because they have been around for a shorter period of time. With the long-term implications, there are suggestions relating to cancer. However, there are clearer reports on the immediate to short-term implications.”
“My main query or fear on behalf of constituents who raised this with me is what will stop this from happening again if at some stage we go into a downturn. People thought their money was set aside and was safe. Is there a copper-fastened guarantee to ensure this money will not be eaten into down the line and that it will be ring-fenced for what it is supposed to be? In this respect, I am curious as to why it is being called a saving scheme rather than a pension scheme. I know Members of the House on the Government side are calling it a pension but it is being called a saving scheme on the website and in that context I wonder why because it is contributing towards the pension.”
“I have a number of questions regarding the auto-enrolment scheme. I welcome the broad thrust of the scheme. The idea of people starting from an early age making contributions towards their pensions as they reach retirement age is a good one in principle, as is the sense of making the employers contribute. However, as Deputy Collins said, there is an issue with the State not contributing enough. I see from the website for the scheme that the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority will be the independent body set up. I would be grateful if during his contribution the Minister could elaborate on this independent body, what sort of oversight it will have and also who monitors it. I have had constituents mention to me in the past that some of their pensions were wiped out during the economic downturn.”
“It is not the overall solution but it helps. We need movement on housing. As my colleagues in Independent Ireland said, we need to get moving on modular home provision. We are in a crisis, but we are not treating it like a crisis.”
“for whatever reason, they did not get anything at all. We need to invest more in the likes of breakfast clubs. I welcome the school meals initiative. I have issues with the quality of the food on offer, but that is a separate matter. I want to focus mainly on vulnerable groups like lone parents and people with disabilities. I want to see more movement on housing. I raised an issue about families being allowed to build homes in their back gardens at the start of the year. We had some positive responses in that regard, but people are being forced out. I know of a lone parent who has a child with severe autism and who does not have space in the main house. They are being told to take down the structure in their back garden because it is unauthorised. That structure is a solution for the family in question. There are different needs.”
“It is regrettable that Ireland, one of the richest countries in the world, has seen a significant rise in children living in consistent poverty. According to the Children's Rights Alliance, one in 12 children, or more than 100,000, is in this situation. Obviously, inflation has risen. There are various reasons for this, including the Ukraine and related issues, the fact that we live on an island, etc., but Ireland is still one of the richest countries in the world. Housing costs have risen as well. The big issue relates to children who have no housing at all. If you are in that type of situation, you are impoverished from the start and the hidden costs add up. There are also situations where kids do not get a proper breakfast. I know one homeless hub where children were being given an apple and a muffin. If they left after 8 a.m.”
“We have heard before that this may be reviewed by the Government under the programme for Government, but the question is one of how long it takes to review whether someone medically fit and competent to drive and carry people of all ages should be able to do so. It should just direct Bus Éireann to make it so.”
“Dublin, north Kildare, Wicklow, Cork and Galway are the crunch points for the special educational needs students. On areas around the rest of the country, my colleagues will be more articulate and knowledgeable about what needs to be done. I definitely think there needs to be accountability and better planning. While we have a resources issue, there is also that of the drivers over 70. I am going to drone on about this because this has been raised over multiple years and raised today by multiple elected representatives. A taxi driver can drive up to the age of 75 but is not allowed, under contract, to drop kids to a school. As others have mentioned, someone with a private coach-hire service can bring a bunch of kids somewhere but not under the contracted service. That does not make sense at all.”
“To follow up on my colleague's comments, there is an issue about accountability and responsibility. It is not the NTA that deals with the school buses; it is Bus Éireann that has been given that job. If Bus Éireann is not doing the job, representatives here would like to know why, who is accountable and who is going to be fired from their job for being incompetent. If it is an issue of supply, the competence issue goes back to the Government. As others have said, we should be able to make decisions on 80% to 90% of bus provision in July, or even in May because the offers of places will often have gone out by that stage. In built-up urban areas like my constituency, there are parents who must wait until the second week of September before their children are offered a place.”
“I noted the Minister's comments earlier today with regard to a discussion about the occupied territories Bill and a date for such. He said the Government can influence but not dictate the position of our partners in the EU and elsewhere around the world. I agree with that 100% but I also acknowledge that there has been ongoing pressure, let us say, from the Opposition in this Chamber and then from the Government in Europe and beyond, that has led to some countries, for example, recognising the two-state solution. Credit where credit is due but the Israeli State is now threatening to annex the West Bank and occupy more territories, so we do have an urgency to show leadership once again. In that context, what is the delay? We had the summer. Can we try to get this done as early as possible in this term?”
“I am talking about the apprentices, the ones who, if they are allowed continue and get away with it for long enough, will enter the criminal justice system. I am also talking about the hangers-on who could be influenced by a nudge. I am not saying my suggestions are gospel. I want to have a debate. I want to see if something makes sense and if something else does not make sense. It is about coming up with solutions because as it stands people in our communities feel nothing is being done to deal with it right now - 20 years' time is too far away. Six months' time or nine months' time for an ASBO is too far away. We need to have something more quickly and that includes issues like community courts and getting gardaí out of having to go to court in the first place and some short, sharp consequences.”
“It happens throughout our constituency and there need to be consequences for that rather than allowing another 20 or 30 young people to be assaulted. They always pick on the vulnerable. It is the young person on their own or two or three years younger. It is the woman out with a buggy. It is someone from an ethnic minority who is new to Ireland and does not know the area that well and they throw out the racial tropes. They pick those they feel they can target. They also know that even those who are well able to defend themselves feel a sense of powerlessness. If someone came up to a grown man of 6 foot 5, that person knows they have to be very careful about what they do. These individuals play on that. They intimidate communities. I am not talking about the high-level drug dealing and other high-level crime.”
“As someone who was instrumental in getting education cuts reversed when everything was being torn to shreds during the economic crisis, I know well about the investment in tackling the causes. God knows how many times I have mentioned the HighScope Perry preschool project about how every €1 of investment in quality early education has a €7 return. We know we need to do more about the causes but when people are consistently subjected to ongoing barrages by people who feel they can act with impunity, we also need to look at the consequences. This is what this is about. Those consequences affect young people. I mentioned the 13-year-old boy whose eye socket was damaged. I could have mentioned two other individuals who had the lard beaten out of them in one of the local parks.”
“You are no Deputy Stagg; please let me continue. At the start of my contribution on the motion, I mentioned that we needed action to deal with the causes of crime. I have spoken about that many times. I previously referenced the Garda numbers but this is a motion purely on the consequences for antisocial behaviour. Again the Social Democrats said this is a very offensive motion to young people. Let us go back to the motion we had on keeping children out of crime back in March or April. We found that only 2% of children have come before the authorities, which means that 98% of our young people are decent law-abiding citizens going about their business and they need our support. The final line of my speech that day was "Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí".”
“Second, some of the perpetrators are under 12, under the age of criminal responsibility. Third, the aim of consequences is to try to keep people out of the criminal justice system and give them a couple of nudges before they actually get involved. In that context, I welcomed Deputy Donnelly's contribution about the use of drones and other positive contributions from Members. Not every contribution was positive. I noted that the Social Democrats decided that they are not going to support the motion and called it nonsense, ostensibly, from what I can gather, by reading one line of the motion.”
“I welcome that the Government is not opposing this motion which is hugely welcome. As I said at the start, some work has been done but we need a lot more. Some of the wording of this motion is actually time-based. It proposes taking some of the suggestions here - my suggestions, other people's suggestions and the Government's own ideas - putting them together and coming up with a plan in the next six months to move forward. That is what I what I hope will come out of this. I thank my constituency colleague, Deputy Mark Ward, for his general support of the motion. I accept that some of the activities that I referenced and he referenced are indeed criminal rather than purely antisocial behaviour. I had three reasons to describe them as such. First, a lot of people generally call them antisocial behaviour.”
“Even if people have been brought in through juvenile liaison or are told they have to do some community service, they should be recognised for the community service they actually do. These are just a couple of suggestions. At the moment, there are groups going around and my constituents are scared because they see them going about with no consequences. These groups are getting bolder and bolder and as they go through the system, they are more likely to end up with full criminal justice ramifications. We are trying to stop people before they get to that stage. Yes, we need to look at the carrots and I fully support that, but there are no sticks. If there are sticks that work, we need to try them as soon as possible.”
“We also need a faster ticket-based reporting system so that victims of antisocial behaviour can log an incident and view the progress being made because due to the nature of how the system operates at present, victims do not know if their case is being followed up in any way. In the same vein, a streamlined process is required for gardaí so that if they are making a statement or some form of statutory declaration for a court, they could do it, in the same way as happened to a small degree during Covid, without having to go into court. We need community courts, fewer gardaí in courts and a stronger focus on community policing. Equally, we need recognition for positive social behaviour.”
“There are Tidy Towns groups and other organisations around the country, or it could be mirrored whereby Garda-vetted groups could facilitate the less serious offenders getting out and doing community clean-ups and community service. I would like to see curfews, for example, for the ones who are causing more trouble and restrictions on them contacting their friends for a period. We also need to have CCTV. For too long, where the likes of playgrounds have been burned to a crisp or where special sculptures have been targeted, we cannot identify the culprits. The gardaí say they might be wearing masks, etc., but the communities I represent want CCTV and want more funding for CCTV. I mentioned the need for a potential ban on social media, which was discussed at committee yesterday, so I will not go into too many details here.”