Over the past number of months, there has been a growing number of violent fire bomb attacks and incidents in Limerick city, particularly in the Garryowen, Ballinacurra Weston and South Hill areas of the city. On Sunday night, a man was injured by a petrol bomb thrown at a house. On Sunday morning, the emergency services attended another fire bomb in the city; a woman was treated for injuries sustained in that incident. This followed the discovery of a suspected explosive device and the torching of cars previously. Only this weekend, a teenager was shot in another part of the city. In September, a house was also set alight. Tensions between criminal gangs are running high and there is a real danger of a loss of life if these types of incidents continue.

These incidents are taking place in hard-working communities, where the vast majority of people work hard and provide for their families. They are being plagued by criminal gangs, however, that seem to operate without sanction. They have little Garda presence as across Limerick many areas have been left without a community garda. Are steps being taken to support the Garda in Limerick to ensure the perpetrators of these attacks are apprehended? We do not have enough gardaí out and about in communities in Limerick. The gardaí we have do an excellent job, but they can only do so much without additional resources. Will the Taoiseach speak to the Garda Commissioner to ensure resources, such as overtime and additional gardaí, which are needed to quench this rising thuggery before people die, are allocated to gardaí in Limerick?

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I will speak to the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and ask that she speaks to the Garda in Limerick. I join with the Deputy in thanking gardaí for the work they do in Limerick, while also accepting that supporting and resourcing them is key and core. That is what we want to do. Limerick is one of the areas that has the roll-out of body cams for gardaí, which is important for their safety and for public safety. I have also said that we are trying to increase our Garda numbers. We are providing more funding for that. I will ask the Minister to come back to the Deputy directly.