When people come to live, work or socialise in Dublin, they want to have the experience of living in a modern, vibrant city which includes our many great historical and cultural buildings, as well as our sports amenities. We all welcome this and want to keep it that way. Unfortunately, there is a dark side to the capital city which we witnessed during the past week with the death of Mr. Jonathan Corrie in the shadow of the front gate of this building. We also saw in the past few days detailed on the front page of The Irish Daily Mail a number of people engaged in drug taking at the rear of the Leinster House complex. Again, this happened in broad daylight, which was truly shocking.

Yesterday the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality heard from the Dublin City Business Association, which represents vintners, restaurants, hotels, businesses in the Temple Bar area and many other businesses operating in Dublin city centre. The delegation from the association told a tale of crime in Dublin city centre that was quite shocking. It told us about shoplifting, drug taking, handbag snatching, aggressive begging and mobile phone theft. Unfortunately, we have been raising this issue for the past few weeks and months with the Tánaiste who has been in denial. The association points out that the number of gardaí in Dublin city centre has fallen by about 12%, that seven of the eight Garda stations on the north and south sides of the Dublin city centre are down approximately 160 gardaí. It also points out that the operation of the Garda roster is hampering the operations of its members' businesses and how members of the public live and work in Dublin city centre. To back all of this up, the association conducted an independent survey which detailed that 87% of people believed there should be a greater Garda presence in Dublin city centre.

A number of weeks ago my colleague, Deputy Barry Cowen, raised this issue with the Tánaiste. It is fair to describe her response as one of total denial and say there is a disconnect. The Government is in charge. There is a problem in Dublin city centre in respect of the issues I have outlined. Yesterday at the meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, the Dublin City Business Association detailed it graphically. Is the Tánaiste willing to agree to implement what the association is looking for, namely, boosting garda numbers in Dublin city centre? Is she willing to agree to release a quantity of funds to allow An Garda Síochána to operate in a meaningful fashion, by example, by giving it an adequate overtime budget, and to deal with the concerns of people who live and work in Dublin city centre that are being raised by the legitimate representatives of the business representations in order that they can engage in their normal day-to-day business, personal and social lives unencumbered by the scourge of anti-social behaviour and crime?

The Deputy referred to the very sad death of Mr. Jonathan Corrie earlier this week. I again extend my condolences to his family and friends. clearly, he was a person who was at the centre of a very loving family and a loving and supportive network of relations and friends. We should offer our condolences to them.

The second point made by the Deputy concerned drugs and drug taking. Without doubt, anybody who has lived and spent time in Dublin city centre will know that for a long period of time drugs have posed a very significant problem, including persons who to a degree are in rehabilitation and attending methadone centres. I have met people from the Dublin City Business Association in recent times, including its CEO, Mr. Richard Guiney, who is spearheading the efforts of Dublin city centre retailers and the council to make Dublin city centre a more attractive place. The critical issue relating to the aggressive begging and shoplifting referenced at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality yesterday is that much of this activity is engaged in by people in the city centre with substance abuse problems. The critical issue for An Garda Síochána is the provision of adequate community policing resources.

The Deputy is aware that in recent days the Government gave the go-ahead to introduce a significant Supplementary Estimate for the Garda covering such matters as overtime and investment both this year and next year in the provision of additional resources, including IT and vehicles. The training of the first 100 Garda recruits in Templemore commenced this year and budget 2015 provides for a further complement of gardaí to be trained. As both city centre and suburban Garda stations in Dublin are included in the framework, many of the recruits to be trained will be allocated to stations in the city centre and the suburbs. I strongly favour a visible Garda presence through a community-based policing force on the streets. When I spoke previously about this matter, I said this was one of the things the Garda was doing in the city centre. Gardaí are calling to premises and homes in both north and south inner city areas. I said this initiative by the Garda had been very well received.

As the independent Garda authority gets under way under the chairmanship of Ms Josephine Feehily who is retiring as chairperson of the Revenue Commissioners, there will be an opportunity to look at policing models to achieve the maximum effect in dealing with street crime and the difficulties the Deputy describes on the streets of Dublin. This should be a priority for the new independent policing authority.

The Tánaiste's reference to a Supplementary Estimate for the Department of Justice and Equality shows how little a handle she has of the issue of crime in Dublin because the Supplementary Estimate went towards plugging the deficit in payroll costs in An Garda Síochána this year. An Garda Síochána is trying to do its job in Dublin city centre with one arm tied behind its back because of a lack of resources.

The Tánaiste said she had met Mr. Richard Guiney, CEO of the Dublin City Business Association, but she did not tell us what she intended to do to address his concerns because the association has asked for a number of specific issues to be addressed. Unfortunately, given the lack of detail, those who are concerned, including members of the public who live in Dublin city centre, are less than reassured by the Tánaiste's comments that she is listening with real concern on the issues being raised.

What is her response, as deputy leader of the Government, to these concerns? Does she feel Dublin city centre is adequately resourced and policed in terms of the resources available to An Garda Síochána to deal with the issues arising? When people come to Dublin to work and to socialise, or as tourists, they want a positive experience. Unfortunately, there is a disconnect in this regard and when one looks beneath surface appearances, one sees problems in the city centre, in Temple Bar, along O'Connell Street and on the Liffey boardwalk. These problems are not being addressed and I do not get a sense of urgency in the Tánaiste's comments in dealing with the issue adequately. What undertakings, if any, did she give to Mr. Guiney and his colleagues in the various associations and how does she intend to deal with the problem?

I am not sure how familiar the Deputy is with the issue given how he spoke about it. He is obviously not familiar with the public order units in Store Street on the northside and on the southside of the city centre or aware that public order offences have decreased by 7% in the south central area, around Pearse Street, and 19% in the Store Street area.

Does the Garda Síochána Inspectorate agree with those figures?

When I spoke about this previously-----

The Tánaiste knows that ordinary Dublin communities are being intimidated by crime but she is doing nothing about it.

Please, Deputy, resume your seat.

The Garda Síochána Inspectorate does not stand over the figures.

Entire communities are being intimidated.

The Tánaiste is replying.

The Tánaiste is misleading the Dáil. Communities across the northside of Dublin are being intimidated but she is doing nothing about it.

Resume your seat.

It is a disgrace.

Where are your pom-poms?

Withdraw that remark.

You are not Mary Lou and you should withdraw that remark.

I am trying to deal with the real issues. I believe the victims who are being intimidated in this city.

You are not Mary Lou.

Please resume your seat.

We are below the 13,000 figure for the Garda. That is another misleading comment.

You are out of order.

I am on my feet. The Deputy should resume his seat.

I am surprised at Deputy Lyons. He should know better.

This is Leaders' Questions.

For the first time in a long time, 100 gardaí are finishing their training and there will be another hundred next year due to the reopening of the Garda college in Templemore. Deputy Niall Collins seems to be unaware-----

I am not unaware. You are unaware.

-----of the initiative that the Garda has taken-----

The Garda Síochána Inspectorate does not stand over the crime statistics outlined by the Tánaiste.

Allow the Tánaiste to reply.

The Deputy seems to be unaware of the work-----

No, I am not.

-----that the Garda is doing in the city centre in terms of going door to door to meet residents and businesses on the northside and the southside. The only thing that will address the difficulties on the city's streets is a visible Garda presence. I welcome that presence and the Garda Commissioner is focusing on feet on the street. That is the way to reassure people and to provide a solid Garda presence. Providing extra numbers is a function of training extra gardaí and we are doing that, unlike the Members opposite, who closed down Templemore. They put the shutters on Templemore.

The Government is pulling down the shutters on itself.

Not only that but they also cut Garda pay by 17%. They need to think again about their response.

The Government is pulling down the shutters on Garda stations all over the country.

The way to address crime in Dublin city, as in Cork, in Galway, in Limerick and in villages, is by having a visible Garda presence in the community. That is what the Garda is doing in Dublin city centre.