Last night in Castleblayney, an ATM was robbed from the AIB on the main street. This is the third ATM to be stolen in the locality in the past three months. One was stolen in Ballybay prior to that and one was stolen in Kingscourt in County Cavan prior to that. To my mind, this clearly illustrates that we do not have enough gardaí on patrol to prevent crimes such as this happening in the first place. It must be considered that in County Monaghan for example, a Border county that straggles three northern counties, namely, Tyrone, Fermanagh and Armagh, there are only two marked patrol cars covering the entire county for most nights during the week. This crime clearly illustrates that these criminals are brazen enough to drive in with a jeep and a trailer attached with a digger on the back, park up, drive the digger off, remove the ATM and drive off into the dark of night in the direction of the Border, never to be seen again. If it clearly shows that we do not have enough gardaí to prevent crimes such as this happening in the first place, it also raises the question of whether we have enough gardaí to investigate crimes such as this thereafter.

I am gravely concerned about this matter, especially when I understand that no overtime is available for the investigation of such crimes in the Border counties. This matter clearly illustrates that we have a serious problem. I have preached here for long enough that we are totally exposed in the Border counties and it is time that the Government gave us the resources that we need.

The banks also need to step up to the plate as they have a responsibility. I understand that there is no tracking device attached to any of these ATMs. One would also question why such large amounts of money are lodged overnight in banks in towns like Castleblayney and Ballybay in the first place. I ask that the Minister for Justice and Equality requests of the banks that they step up to the plate and play their part in security. Today, the main street of Castleblayney is cordoned off so businesses are suffering because nobody is allowed to enter the town. There is also an ongoing issue with the market house in Castleblayney and part of the town is cordoned off on an ongoing basis. We need help in the Border counties. We need extra resources, especially with Brexit on our doorstep at the moment. I ask the Government to please keep these matters in consideration going forward.

Hear, hear.

Hear, hear.

Last night I got a telephone call from somebody I dearly love who told me that today she will be homeless by lunch hour and her property will be taken from her by a bank. It deeply disturbs me the way things are going on. This woman is in her 60s. I lost my house in my 30s and while it is possible to recover when one is in one's 30s, it is totally impossible to do so in one's 60s. The heartbreaking thing behind this story is that this woman has been through several court cases. There was not a word, letter or telephone call for almost seven years but yesterday, she received a telephone call to say her case would be before the High Court today and she would be out of her home within six months. She has nowhere to go. I am mindful of the woman in a film I saw some years ago who had her entire life in a group of bags or a shopping trolley and that was it. That is all there was. l asked myself what had gone wrong and there are no simple answers. The house was repeatedly sold from one lending agency to another. I assume that by the time the house was eventually purchased by the people who are now justifiably recovering their asset - and I am not for one moment complaining about that - they probably bought it for 10 cent in the euro. That is the problem. If somebody said it to me that I could have bought the house for 10 cent in the euro then I would have bought it and would have seen to it that the person was not thrown out on the street. There are families all over this country who would do the same thing, rather than see somebody they love suffer. I am totally baffled that we can sit idly by and allow these major multinationals come in here and buy up properties at 10 cent or 20 cent in the euro yet evict Irish citizens.

I was president of the Teachers Union of Ireland when we cut the pay of our members by up to 30% and we did so to save this country. While none of us liked the measure, and people in this House took similar cuts, we did it because the country needed it. Can we not now in some way take control? Can we set up a housing agency that will be offered these houses at 10 cent or 20 cent in the euro? Can we ensure that when somebody is about to be chucked out on the street the house is sold to that agency, which allows the person to continue to live in the property? I am talking about a woman in her 60s. I am sick of listening to calls for debates on homelessness. I am sick of listening to the Minister for House, Planning and Local Government being lashed verbally. There is no simple answer. Can we have a debate that might consider how to deal with deviant mortgages and people who are about to find themselves on the street? I am heartbroken today for this particular person. I wish I could go, pick her up, take her in my arms and take her away. I do not want her to suffer the pain that she is suffering today. I would do anything to take her pain away. I respect the right of the bank to seize its property but, good God, I respect the woman's right to live out her life in some sort of peace.

I agree with the call made by my colleagues, Senators Paddy Burke and Mulherin. I, too, attended the presentation made by Irish Rail yesterday. I applaud its plans and what it is Irish Rail is striving to achieve by way of the provision of new electrified rolling stock and improvement in journey times. As the two Senators have raised, there are important issues regarding passenger comfort, ease of access and so on. Many smaller stations throughout the country will not be manned in future. The Irish Rail officials told me yesterday that they hope to provide personnel on trains on all lines to help passengers. Obviously the personnel will be expected to assist passengers getting on and off at these unmanned stations. I suggest that the initiative is worked out more properly. I support the call made by the Senators for a debate as it would be timely in regard to everything that Irish Rail is trying to do and hopes to do.

I wish to raise another subject matter. It is very good that the British Prime Minister has at long last - and I suppose it was forced on her really - dropped her red lines and now there is hope of progress being made. It is good that there is going to be a cross-party approach. It is the only way they would make progress, seeing that the two parties in the UK had their own difficulties for so long. I hope that the meeting will bear fruit and that progress will be made in the near future.