asked the Minister for Justice if there have been any developments in the search for the murderers of Garda Richard Fallon; and what future action the Government intend to take to assist the gardaí in their search.

For reasons that must be quite obvious, I am not prepared to make statements about garda investigations that are still in progress.

I agree that there are obvious reasons but will the Minister not agree that there is a drift towards anarchy and that the present Government are not prepared to take unpopular decisions——

This is an argument, not a question.

Is it not true that the Government are not doing their duty, that they are not giving full backing to the Garda Síochána to enforce law and order in this country? Is it not also true if the Government did their duty the unfortunate garda would not have been shot in the exercise of his duty?

Why did you oppose the Criminal Justice Bill, then?

I have nothing to add to the reply I have given to the Deputy's mischievous question, which was put down to hinder rather than to help the Garda Síochána in their work.

Is the Minister aware that this party has stood by the forces of law and order since the institution of the State? Is the Minister further aware that, on the evening of the Wicklow bank robbery, the Garda authorities——

This does not arise.

——knew where those six people were?

This has nothing to do with the question.

Certainly it has.

The question deals with Garda Richard Fallon, not with anything else.

And the thugs who murdered him because——

The Deputy is holding up the Criminal Justice Bill.

The Minister agrees with thugs who commit murder. Is it not true that on that particular evening high ranking gardaí asked the Minister for Justice to introduce section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act so that they could take those people in and their request was refused, for political reasons, because there were by-elections pending? I want that question answered.

I am well aware of the history of the Deputy and his colleagues in upholding law and order in the Blue Shirt movement, which I witnessed myself.

Answer the question.

The rest of the Deputy's supplementary——

Thugs can roam the streets with impunity.

——is the usual malicious falsehood.