This low tax Government will tax us from beyond the grave.

I want to raise the issue of an innocent young plumber's assistant who was murdered today in broad daylight. This case follows a situation when, four days ago, a post office worker was shot dead on the streets of Kilkenny during an armed robbery. Three weeks ago a young, separated mother was shot on her own doorstep. A few months ago Donna Cleary was shot at a party. This year there have been 23 gun murders — there were many other murders — the highest number in the history of the State. Fianna Fáil made such a row and many of us remember Deputy John O'Donoghue in 1998 when in the first year of the Government of the two parties opposite there were four gun murders. Since January 1998, there have been 120 gun murders, 30% of which saw proceedings commenced and 15.8% a conviction. That is the record.

I remind the House of the pledge made by the Taoiseach in 1997 when he said he would make the fight against crime his priority in the new Fianna Fáil Government. He put the Fianna Fáil message in five simple words to the drugs barons and criminal gangs: we will not accept this, he said, they would no longer be allowed hold sway over our communities. They would not live in luxury with impunity because Fianna Fáil had a plan for them: to arrest them, prosecute them and put them out of business.

Compare that with the reality now. We have a Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform who will advise on any aspect of human affairs at the drop of a hat but this is the reality in his portfolio. What was his reaction last Sunday? He blamed the judges. He said the Judiciary is to blame because it will not implement his mandatory sentencing. He blames whoever is near at the time.

Does the Taoiseach acknowledge that drugs are driving this crime wave? Does the Taoiseach acknowledge there is a crisis in policing and crime? If he does not accept that, how many more killings must there be for the Government to acknowledge there is a crisis and to put the relevant measures in place?

I utterly condemn the barbaric and senseless killings in Finglas today as well as the tragic slaying of Alan Cunniffe on Friday in Kilkenny. What else can I add to what I have said about some of the recent other murders? I said here two weeks ago when a mother was shot in Swords that there have been too many gun murders. This year there has been 23 to date, with 21 last year. Two years ago, there was a small figure, nine, although one is too many. There have been two bad years, I will not say anything else, with 44 murders. The figure has increased from nine to 23 this year.

What are we doing and what can we do? Deputies can be assured that a major Garda operation is underway to deal with the perpetrators of the Finglas murders. The Tánaiste has spoken to the Garda Commissioner and senior gardaí today. A senior, experienced garda has been put in charge of the investigation. I have seen some of the details but I am constrained from giving information. The Tánaiste, however, will give further details later.

I extend my sympathies to the families concerned. The fact that one of the victims was a young apprentice going about his work makes his murder doubly horrific, if that is possible. The Tánaiste and the gardaí have clearly stated that no stone will be left unturned in hunting down the killers in any of these murders. I assure the House there is no question of a lack of resources or laws. Deputy Rabbitte knows there is plenty of legislation on the Statute Book and there are sentencing procedures to deal with these issues. The issue is to apprehend those responsible.

Operation Anvil has been in place for the last year and a half to deal with this sort of drug-related crime, which most of these murders are, although some of them involve internal conflicts between gangs and individuals concerned. Operation Anvil has a large number of gardaí dedicated to dealing with this issue. In doing so, there have been 56 arrests for murder since the unit was established, with 800 arrests for robbery, 1,700 arrests for burglary and 800 for serious assaults. They have arrested almost 3,400 in that operation alone.

In recent months, Operation Oak, an intelligence operation, was undertaken by a large number of gardaí to target gangs and individuals. It may not be news to the House, but a large proportion of the resources of Operation Oak targeted the individual murdered today. Many detectives were involved in that operation because of the activities of that individual.

I regret that these things happen. They are drug-related and gang-related and the laws are there but the resources in place for both Operation Anvil and Operation Oak, which are focussed on the man murdered today, did not stop these murders from happening. That cannot deter the gardaí, however, who must continue their efforts to the best of their professional ability using the resources they have been given to deal with these gangs and individuals, particularly those who have been engaged in disputes for the last 18 months.

The Taoiseach may well say we have plenty of laws but the average, law abiding citizen is concerned that we have plenty of deaths as well, plenty of killings, a huge increase in the crime wave, falling detection rates and communities ravaged by drugs and drug pushers. That is the reality.

When we think about the cliché uttered by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when he came before the House two years ago to tell us that we had just experienced the last sting of the dying wasp, it was reported as a colourful remark from the boring Minister, but should someone with that sort of judgment be in charge of this portfolio, someone who told this House in all gravity that this was the last sting of the dying wasp?

There has been a swarm of wasps since and this Minister does not seem to have any grasp of the reality of life in communities afflicted by the drugs menace. He does not seem to understand that there is not a town or village that is not affected by the drugs menace. He does not seem to understand that most of this vicious crime is driven by drugs. A plumber's apprentice was shot down in broad daylight in his place of work. The Taoiseach made a remark but one can never know whether he meant it or it was a slip of the tongue. He said whatever about the other murders, these are terrible today. There is an attitude that while a gangland member is killing a gangland member, the rest of us will put up with it but the fear was expressed so frequently that one of these days, one of these gangland killings would involve an innocent citizen, which is exactly what happened earlier. A young apprentice was shot down in his place of work this morning, presumably casually, because he could have been a relevant witness to the crime.

It is not good enough for the Taoiseach to say he is turning over stones, we have plenty of laws and it is terrible this is happening. Somebody needs to get a grip on this situation.

The Deputy's time is concluded.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform wanders from one radio studio to another——

He should resign.

----advising on anything that happens to come up and not attending to his primary duty to protect the safety of citizens in their places of work and homes.

Hear, hear.

Shame on the Government.

The Minister should resign.

He is a failure in every way, including on stamp duty.

Lest I am in any way misinterpreted, I condemn all murders and I am dealing with those that happened last Friday and earlier today. All murders, regardless of who is involved and the circumstances, are barbaric and senseless killings. While I have not received a final Garda statement on the earlier murders because I do not usually get them for a few days, it seems the apprentice was a totally innocent individual going about his day's work.

I will not get into a debate about what is happening in the drugs area, the successes in communities or other statistics. I have any amount of figures, which show with the population increase——

It is worse than Chicago in the 1930s.

Deputy Jim O'Keeffe will have plenty of time to debate this. He is becoming a professional interrupter and he should listen for just a few minutes.

Just like the Minister beside the Taoiseach.

The public is at risk.

The Government is exacerbating the problem.

The Taoiseach, without interruption, please.

Deputy Rabbitte raised serious questions, which I will try my best to answer.

The Taoiseach should give a serious answer.

The overall figures show significant reductions in many areas but with regard to gun murders over recent years, mainly due to a war between various gangs, the number of deaths annually increased from nine to 21 last year and 23 so far this year.

Were the people killed by a wasp?

We know what is happening. What will the Government do about it?

What is the solution?

That wasp had a lot of venom.

Hundreds of gardaí have been involved in Operation Anvil.

They are down in Mayo where they are not needed at all.

In fairness to the gardaí, in a short period they have arrested more than 3,400 people. A large number have been sentenced or are on remand.

It is fair of the public or Deputy Rabbitte to ask how about some of these individuals. I also ask this question but 55 detectives were working on Operation Oak, which targeted significant effort at the individual murdered earlier.

He was still shot.

Time and again, that individual and related activities were highlighted. His name has come up in connection with several serious incidents over the past year and while 55 gardaí were involved in that operation, the issues surrounding him were not resolved and he was gunned down earlier. Operation Oak was trying to deal with him and a small group of others properly before the law. As a civil society, which totally opposes such acts, he was dealt with by those with whom he was in conflict. That is dangerous for all of us. All we can hope is that the gardaí who are intensely involved with the various gangs can have better success than they have had. This involves an intricate web of activity across the city but it does not involve many people. It is no good my saying there have been enormous numbers of convictions against these gangs. Their members are well known and the name of the individual murdered today was mentioned in every briefing I have heard over the past year or more. I refer to the criminal, not the innocent person.

He should have been arrested.

The Garda, not me, makes those decisions. I will convey our sympathies to the individuals involved as well as our support for the Garda. We have been at pains to say to the Garda regarding this operation since the beginning of last year that we would make whatever resources were necessary available to deal with the people involved.

A helpless, hopeless, hapless response.