Over the past months, Opposition parties warned the Government of the danger of innocent people being gunned down on the streets because of the increase in internal gangland warfare, principally over drugs and money. This has now happened, unfortunately, in a number of tragic cases from Donna Cleary to Anthony Campbell and Alan Cunniffe, with another death in County Louth occurring this morning, apparently linked to a spate of car hijackings.

The Government was warned by the Opposition parties that it was not doing enough to meet this scourge head-on when there is evidence of people driving on the M50 with flak jackets firing machine guns across lanes, innocent people being gunned down and people being assassinated in broad daylight. It is time for the Government to get serious about this extremely serious problem.

The Taoiseach consistently told us he received security briefings in recent months and pointed out that Mr. Hyland's name came up in all of them. If that is the case, and the Taoiseach has been briefed about this, why did the Government not grant sufficient resources or imprimatur to the gardaí and the CAB to place these people under surveillance? Why was the CAB not in a position to follow the money trail to its conclusion? How can shipments of drugs be ordered by mobile phone from prison? Why, after ten years of knowledge of the activities of the assassinated Mr. Hyland, were he and his fellow drugs barons not put out of business when children lie orphaned as a consequence of their actions?

In the Taoiseach's briefings, was he given information by the gardaí or the Army that Mr. Hyland, the assassinated drug baron, was directly involved in the recent murder of the Latvian woman, Baiba Saulite, who left two young children behind? Did the briefing include evidence this person was directly linked to that murder?

Again, I sympathise with the families of all of those killed in recent times, in Kilkenny last week, Dublin yesterday and as a result of the overnight gang activity on the Border.

In reply to Deputy Kenny, the Government has at all times given the gardaí full resources and statutory powers to deal with this issue, particularly the gang warfare that has been going on since the summer of 2005. Most of the 23 who have died this year and the 21 who died last year were victims of gun crimes directly related to a web of gangs that operate in the city and county and some of the surrounding counties.

Just over a year ago, based on intelligence, the Garda told the Government it was setting up Operation Anvil. The Garda Commissioner augmented the organised crime unit, the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, with an additional 55 gardaí to address the problem of criminal gang activity. Enforcement by the unit has resulted in firearms being seized and people being arrested, disrupting their criminal activity. There has also been an increase in Garda monitoring and targeting of individuals and groups involved in armed crime. We have also strengthened our legislation, with ten year sentences for people caught in possession of a moderate amount of drugs at today's going rates. The gardaí have operated these systems.

Deputy Kenny will appreciate that I cannot give a full account of security briefings but the nucleus is that the gangs are operating against each other in severe conflict and most of the issues I have mentioned are related to that fact.

To deal with that, the gardaí had quietly and effectively established Operation Oak, named after the location where these gangs operate — people in the district would know from where the name comes. Arising from that, the gardaí have achieved 40 arrests. The operation was based around the late Martin Hyland and, as a result, many criminal elements were arrested and there were more than 20 large seizures of guns and drugs. The gardaí and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform gave the figures yesterday — they recovered 30 kg of heroin, 35 kg of cocaine, 1,500 kg of cannabis, stolen vehicles, handguns, AK-47s, sawn-off shotguns, rifles, ammunition and cash as a result of that operation.

Some of the work in that operation led to reports in the national press about the attempted kidnapping of a person and further seizures of drugs on a farm in Meath. All these operations centred on that. The Garda found that because it had closed in on this gang, death threats were being made against Martin Hyland. Even though the Garda was closely watching him, it had to inform him he was being threatened in the interest of natural justice. The Garda knew some of the people threatening him because of its own successful operation when one examines the full briefing of the force's break up of this gang. However, that creates its own problems and difficulties relating to the gang. The Garda has appointed its top assistant commissioner, who has been very effective on gangland crime, to take charge of this. The Tánaiste told the gardaí more than 18 months ago that resources are not an issue, but significant resources are taken up, including the use of the best detectives in the force. They have to provide 24-hour cover.

The obvious question is if so many gardaí were watching Martin Hyland, how did others get him but he was moving around because he knew he was a target. When one looks at the security briefing, it highlights a sophisticated web of activity involving a number of gangs who cross each other. The Garda is doing its utmost within the powers of the law and in the context of human rights.

Gardaí know the key players but it must play by the legal system. Martin Hyland was known for a long time but he was good at dodging Garda surveillance.

No human rights were extended to Anthony Campbell yesterday, unfortunately. The public perception of the way the Government parties have acted on this issue is that they have either lost the bottle to do the business or they are not giving this sophisticated unit of the Garda sufficient impetus to do its job. Nobody can understand after ten years the failure to put away this drug baron, who was assassinated, and others. The former Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy O'Donoghue, as an advocate of zero tolerance, would have been completely apoplectic about a hell of a lot less than this. However, fewer of these crimes are being detected and no drug baron has been put behind bars over the past five years. If Government members know who these people are on the basis of the briefings they are given, why is it not possible for the security forces of this country to have Government backing to implement its primary responsibility to keep our citizens safe? Innocent people are being mown down as a result of internal gangland feuds involving drugs and greed. The Government's operations are not working. What new measures does the Taoiseach intend to take to ensure they work?

The question I asked earlier related to Baiba Saulite. Did the information given to the Taoiseach in briefings indicate whether Mr. "Marlo" Hyland was directly involved in her murder? It has been brought to my attention that the late Mr. Hyland was paying serious protection money to the Provisional IRA because of internal gangland feuds. Can the Taoiseach confirm, on the basis of evidence given to him through briefings by Army or Garda personnel, that the Provisional IRA was involved in the murder of Mr. Hyland or was associated with him in that respect? According to the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, that outfit is supposed to be extinct and not involved in further criminality. Do the Taoiseach's briefings extend to information that the Provisional IRA was in receipt of protection money from the late Mr. Hyland and may have been involved in his murder?

In fairness to the Garda, the Government and the House have done their job in legislative terms. The Garda has been told by the Tánaiste over the past 18 months that there is no difficulty or question about resources.

That is untrue.

The Government has not provided resources.

Allow the Taoiseach to speak without interruption.

The Garda has confirmed that is the case.

The figures are there.

That is rubbish. That is not true. That is not what the Garda is saying.

Deputy Durkan should note it is his leader's question. He is entitled to hear the answer and he should afford him the courtesy of hearing the answer.

This is a fiction.

The Taoiseach, without interruption, please.

We want an answer, not bluster.

The Garda Commissioner has confirmed that is the case.

What else would he say?

There is no doubt that, as a result of the Garda operation, the net was tightening around Martin Hyland and he was losing his grip on his criminal activities. A total of 43 of his associates have been arrested. It is not true for Deputy Kenny to say the Garda has not been successful.

There was no conviction in five years.

That is also untrue.

That is a fact.

Two dozen of them have been charged. The Deputy should not come into the House without the facts. A total of 43 have been arrested and 24 have been charged with serious offences within a year.

What about convictions?

Based on intelligence and criminal operations, €23 million worth of drugs and property have been confiscated.

With regard to the Latvian woman in Swords, I have no evidence of that. All I have heard is rumours but it is well known that the gun operation in Dublin and beyond was closely associated with Martin Hyland. The Deputy can work out the rest.

I have seen nothing that implicates anyone in the Provisional IRA. Deputy Kenny will be aware that the name, Operation Oak, is based on a location in my constituency. The recent abduction took place close to where I am. A significant former paramilitary was in the company of Martin Hyland over the summer, but the person is not associated with the Provisional IRA nor has he been.

Gun rules okay.

The Deputy should be serious about this.

I ask Deputy Durkan to allow Deputy Rabbitte to proceed without interruption.