Seanad report:Instead of indulging in a cheap mugshot of himself in a newspaper at a non-event, the Minister for Justice should be acting to crush lawlessness, said Michael Finucane (FG).
Ministers Michael McDowell and Tom Parlon had been photographed at the opening of the data commissioner's office in Portarlington to which just one of the 24 staff had come from Dublin. This had to be contrasted with one of the latest murders in the country - that of a young apprentice plumber who had witnessed the "execution" of another individual. "I really worry about the state of anarchy that's prevailing in this country."
Brendan Ryan (Labour) said the threat posed by criminals to the way we lived was worse than that which had been manifested by the Provisional IRA because it was based on brutal greed rather than additional legislation.
There was a need for the provision of resources to enable specialist gardaí to maintain 24-hour vigilance on individuals in the way the movements of people regarded as subversive 20 years ago were kept under observation.
Condemning the murders in Dublin yesterday, Mr Ryan asked how a person who had apparently been "number one in the Garda list of suspects" could have been somewhere without anybody knowing where he was.
Pascal Mooney (FF) suggested there was a need for a special anti-crime unit along the lines of the "Untouchables" squad which had combated gangland activities in the US in the 1930s and 1940s. He believed in due process. The Minister should examine how gardaí could deal with those whom they could not touch although they "are aware who these people are". Special courts had been set up in the past to deal with subversive crime.
Sheila Terry (FG) said we had now reached a situation where innocent bystanders were getting caught up in the crossfire between gangsters.
House leader Mary O'Rourke said she would check with the Office of the Taoiseach as to whether it would be possible to include reports on bombings in Dublin and Monaghan and other atrocities in a debate scheduled for today.
Jim Walsh (FF) said he was disappointed that the report relating to the bombing of Kay's Tavern had not been included in the proposed debate. An Oireachtas joint committee had called for a debate in both Houses to address the issues involved.
The Government should offer tax incentives for people to purchase bonds for their nursing home care in later life, said John Hanafin (FF). The Government might consider giving tax relief or double relief at the top marginal rates to encourage people to make early provision for such care.