I represent a community of north County Dublin traumatised by extreme brutality and obscene violence during the past couple of days and weeks. On 6 November a grenade exploded outside a house in Ridgewood Green, Swords, a matter I raised in the House at the time. Half an hour after that attack another grenade attack took place in Finglas. Last weekend two girls, aged four and six years, were sexually assaulted. To listen to the father of one of those girls is heart rending. He said they had a bad night with her last night. She was up until 4 a.m. She came in crying and said she was having bad dreams about the bold man. She said, "Sorry, Daddy, for causing any trouble." She was starting to blame herself. That is devastating to hear from a four year old child.

The parents in Swords and surrounding areas are living in fear. As if that was not enough to bear, Ms Babia Saulite, a 28 year old mother of two was murdered at her home in a contract killing on Sunday last at 10 p.m. while standing at her front door. There is speculation that an international criminal gang is involved. Can the Taoiseach appreciate not just the trauma affecting the families and neighbours in a community but also the additional burden placed on Garda resources? For every serious incident such as the Rachel O'Reilly murder or these more recent crimes, gardaí are pulled away from normal police work in the community. Meanwhile an area such as Fingal in north county Dublin, like many commuter belt communities, has seen a population explosion without the commensurate growth in facilities. In 2005 one in ten houses in the State was built in Fingal. Swords, traditionally referred to as a village, has a population the size of Waterford City. I am not asking the Taoiseach to comment on the investigation——

The Deputy's time has concluded.

I am not asking the Taoiseach about national Garda figures but will he direct Government policy to benchmark and resource facilities, such as Garda resources, to match the population size in a town like Swords? We need a task force on meeting the needs of fast growing commuter-belt towns, not only in north County Dublin but throughout the country where commuter belt towns are experiencing an explosion in population without facilities. That task force should report in about three months, if not sooner.

The Garda, through the report we received today from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, is doing everything it can in that area to track down the murderer and also the individual involved in the abuse of children. In a few other cases in the region last week the Garda investigation is continuing. I am not sure if the Deputy is aware that a substantial number of gardaí not only from that area but from the special units were involved in trying to track the murderers. They were not only from Swords or the north county area.

At all times the Government has to ensure the demands of the Commissioner, in terms of more gardaí, more overtime and more specialists and equipment are met. The directing of numerical strength into areas is an operational matter for the Garda. The analysis of the number of gardaí required is a matter in which the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Garda are involved all the time. Proportionately for our population the number of gardaí on active duty at a given time and in overall numbers is high.

Not in those areas.

That is an operational matter for the Garda Commissioner. We have made it clear to him on a number of occasions, including last year, that any resources required would be provided. We fast-tracked a number of gardaí through Templemore, including special units, and €1.3 billion has been spent on overtime. We will continue to do this.

Four years on.

Clearly, the population has increased. Commuter belt communities, traditionally areas of small population operated with part-time Garda stations, need extra resources. At all times when that has been brought to the attention of the Minister for Finance he has been supportive of providing extra resources to the Garda to deal with such areas.

I had an idea the Taoiseach would say operational matters were someone else's problem. I recall him declaring an interest in the writings of Mr. Putnam in his book Bowling Alone and how community values and building communities was an area in which he had an interest. The evidence, however, is exactly the opposite. That is the reason I ask what he will do given that he has declared an interest in building communities. Having sufficient gardaí on the streets is part of that. Waterford city has three Garda stations. An area of the same population size in Swords has one Garda station which also covers Donabate and Portrane. Waterford city has 21 primary schools while Swords has less than half that number and no secondary school in Donabate. Waterford city has a FÁS training centre while Swords has none. Waterford city has three local development agencies while Swords has none. Waterford city has three full-time public libraries, while Swords has one. Waterford city has nine community centres, while Swords has just two.

I did not realise we had done so much.

Waterford city is entitled to its facilities and I would not take any of them away. Will the Taoiseach recognise the deficit from Government policy in pushing housing development without facilities to match that level of housing? Will he undertake to put in place a task force to indicate he means what he says when he talks about the value of building communities? These crime figures are taking away Garda resources.

Will the Deputy give way to the Taoiseach? He appears to be moving away from the Standing Order which states there shall be one question on one topical issue. I am not sure, at this stage, what is the Deputy's question.

I am trying to put it in context. Will the Taoiseach direct that the resources are put in place in those communities that do not have them?

Hear, hear.

The Deputy knows that where the Commissioner decides to deploy gardaí is an operational matter over which I have no control. If I said I was moving gardaí from one place to another, he knows what would be said. In terms of what the overall numbers are, we need to get to 14,000 gardaí, resource the special units and give additional overtime where the Garda requires it — we are giving huge amounts of overtime. We must look to the future of what additional gardaí we need even though proportionately per 10,000, per 1,000, per 100,000 or whatever way one looks at it, for a country of its size and geographic location and in terms of urban and rural areas, under every one of those headings we come out very highly. Apart from that the Government has continued to increase the number of gardaí, increase the specialisation of the Garda——

It is not even half way there.

——increase the equipment of the Garda and increase the hours. We will continue to do this.

Please allow the Taoiseach to speak without interruption.

How the Commissioner divides that is a matter for him and the management of the Garda.