Deputy Haughey is next.

Deputy Broughan has indicated.

Yesterday, I raised the series of brutal assassinations in my constituency and in nearby Fingal in recent months. The Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, as always, was helpful but the Minister for Justice and Equality was not present. I wanted to ask the Minister about Garda overtime. Is there a problem in that regard? Have there been cuts? Are there sufficient personnel to police what is effectively an emergency situation? Is the 2006 Act - the McDowell Act - infirm in some regards in respect of combating gangland crime and gang leaders? Do we need to urgently revisit the legislation? This morning, the Minister mentioned on the radio that he will be liaising with other stakeholders on whatever resources were needed. I presume these would include Dublin City Council and local community bodies.

On the same issue, does the Taoiseach accept that the citizens of Kilmore West, Darndale and north Dublin are entitled to go about their daily business without the threat of being caught up in the crossfire? It is quite extraordinary that, to date, innocent people have not been caught up in the rampant shootings that are taking place. Obviously, it is a question of providing more resources and more Garda personnel in that area. Is the Minister satisfied that the Garda has the expertise to deal with gangland crime and the feuds that are taking place throughout the city and the country? Would he agree that there is a need for investment in these communities in north Dublin, in Kilmore West and Darndale, including investment in employment, education, youth and community services? There are great organisations like Northside Partnership, the Dublin North East Drugs and Alcohol Task Force, the Kilmore youth project, and the City of Dublin Youth Service Board. What is needed is a whole-of-Government approach and a targeted response designed to deal with this problem.

In the past few days there have been three killings, two of which occurred in my constituency of Coolock and Darndale, just a few miles north of this building. I am from Darndale.

I grew up there and it is correct to state that great people live in Darndale. The people of Darndale, Kilmore and Coolock feel they are being ignored. They feel that resources are going elsewhere. Will the Taoiseach explain why Garda numbers in Coolock went in one direction, namely, down, between 2011 and 2017? Will he explain why the number of gardaí assigned to the local anti-drugs unit has plummeted by one third? Will he also explain why Garda vehicles are not being replaced quickly enough? The lack of support for those communities and for the gardaí working there is unacceptable. This matter needs to be addressed.

I assure the community in north-east Dublin that every effort will be made to pursue vigorously those responsible for lawlessness and criminality in the area. I was in touch with the Garda Commissioner this morning because I am keen to ensure that those responsible will be brought to justice. I accept, as Deputy Haughey stated, that our fundamental duty is to ensure the protection of our citizens. That is why unprecedented resources, amounting to €1.7 billion, are now available to An Garda Síochána. I mentioned earlier the addition of vehicles to the Garda fleet and improved technology. I assure the Deputies from the area that An Garda Síochána is making relentless efforts to stop what is, in essence, a local feud. The armed support unit is active in the area, there have been thousands of Garda checkpoints in recent times and gardaí have been on patrol. While the unacceptable violence, resulting in murders, has been the issue on everybody's lips in the area, we must acknowledge recent successes on the part of An Garda Síochána in the context of arrests and the seizure of weapons, drugs and cash. On behalf of the Garda Commissioner, I assure the House that those responsible for and engaged in criminal activity will be brought to account.

I agree with Deputy Haughey that the response has to be more than one of a criminal justice nature. I spoke to the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Bruton, during the week regarding this issue. I will be happy to engage with other colleagues from the area as well to ensure, as Deputy Haughey suggested, that there is a whole-of-Government response. My responsibility is in the area of criminal justice-----

What about Garda overtime, the number of hours gardaí can work and their availability?

-----and Garda numbers, which are now in excess of 14,000. I will be in Templemore next week for the passing out of a further 200 gardaí. I am happy to continue to engage with the Garda Commissioner to ensure that Garda numbers are sufficient in every area, including that mentioned by Deputy Broughan.

The Taoiseach did not answer my question. He ignored it completely.

The answer is the same as that which I gave to Deputy Coppinger.

It is the same answer.

He should have at least had the decency to say that.