2025-12-17

I move amendment No. 1: In page 13, between lines 29 and 30, to insert the following: “(c) the insertion of the following subsection after subsection (5): “(5A) In carrying out the powers conferred by subsection (5), the Minister shall— (a) ensure that a review of the financial supports to disadvantaged communities, identified in the Pobal HP Deprivation Index, that are affected by crime, is conducted in public consultation with individuals and stakeholders, (b) ensure that such a review is undertaken every 24 months at a minimum, or more frequently, at the discretion of the Minister, and a report on the review is laid before each House of the Oireachtas, (c) ensure that the report laid before each House of the Oireachtas identifies any additional financial supports, other than that provided in the annual budget, that may be provided to disadvantaged communities as in paragraph (a) affected by crime in order to alleviate the impact of crime and prevent future criminal behaviour, including the funding of targeted youth educational and development initiatives where appropriate, (d) give due consideration to the recommendations of any review carried out under this subsection and prioritise, where possible, the use of monies realised in the making of disposal orders under this section for the purposes identified in the review, and (e) ensure that a report on the use of monies realised in the making of disposal orders under this Act is laid before each House of the Oireachtas on an annual basis.”,”. Sinn Féin supports the overall aims of this Bill. Anything that reduces the amount of time it takes for the Criminal Assets Bureau, CAB, to take money and assets from organised criminals is welcome. It is something that should probably have been done long ago. For this amendment, I went back to recommendation 15 of the report of the justice committee on the issue, which stated: "The Committee recommends further examination of the use of funds recovered from proceeds of crime and how such funds could be invested ... through the provision of preventative supports within communities." It is those preventative supports that I am aiming at. Sinn Féin has long advocated that the money taken by CAB should be reinvested in the communities that are most hit and affected by crime. In fact, my colleague, Deputy Ó Snodaigh, first raised this matter in the Dáil 15 years ago. I and Deputy Ó Murchú had a Bill in 2021, the contents of which were the same as this amendment. That Bill passed Second Stage. We are looking to see that the money taken by CAB is put into the most disadvantaged communities. It has been long proven that disadvantaged communities are more vulnerable to crime and drug use. There is a direct link between poverty, crime and addiction. One of the ways that we can determine a disadvantaged area or an extremely disadvantaged area is through the Pobal deprivation index. The latest deprivation index was published in 2023 and stated that despite nationwide improvements in deprivation measures, the gaps between Ireland's most disadvantaged areas and the national average have increased. There are almost 200,000 people now living in areas that are classed as very or extremely disadvantaged. I would like to see the money recovered by CAB redirected into those communities. As I said, the most recent Pobal deprivation index was published in 2023. The previous one was published in 2016. In those seven years, there were notable changes for the worse in some of the areas that I represent. North Clondalkin, for example, is an area of disadvantage. I do not need the Pobal index to tell me that because it is the area in which I grew up. It is a great place, and it was a great place to grow up, but it was also a tough place to grow up. We have had great community spirit over the years despite the problems we experience on a daily basis. There was a lack of amenities and infrastructure. There was a lack of employment opportunities. When I would go for a job as a young person, I would have to give the address of a relative who did not live in the area so I might have a chance of an interview, such was the stigma of living in the area. There is a history of early school leaving, youth crime and organised crime in our area. Addiction is rife throughout. In 2016, when the deprivation index was published - I have the map in my hand and can give it to the Minister - only one estate in north Clondalkin was designated "extremely disadvantaged". Fast forward from 2016 to 2023 and six more housing estates were added to that designation. Things have got worse over the years. In fact, things are regressing. The whole area, bar one estate, is either very or extremely disadvantaged. It is areas such as those that need to be targeted by the community safety fund. We welcome the community safety fund, as I said. We have advocated for it for a long time. We want to ensure that it goes to the areas that need it the most. For the very first roll-out of the community safety fund, six front-line organisations in my area, which are dedicated to tackling crime, drug use and poverty, applied to the fund but not one of them was successful. I looked at the 42 successful applications in the most recent round of applications to the community safety fund and I must say there are some really worthy organisations included. I will not stand up here and say that the organisations that got funding did not deserve it. However, I will give one example of an organisation that got funding. I noticed that €142,000 from the community safety fund went to the FAI. I have been involved in soccer clubs in my area for years. In all my years working and organising in a disadvantaged area, and volunteering as a soccer coach and manager, I have never seen the FAI give us any support whatsoever. In clubs such as Collinstown Football Club, girls and boys are getting changed on the side of the pitch because they have no dressing rooms. There is not one Astroturf pitch in the whole of north Clondalkin. This week, we have heard that the FAI is cutting its measly contribution of €10,000 per player development programme with the education and training board, ETB. That funding is being cut, which will have an impact right across disadvantaged areas. A little known fact is that Roy Keane was one of the first people to go through the ETB in Collinstown school in Dublin, believe it or not, even through he is from Cork. Other players who went through that programme include Abbie Larkin from Ringsend and Pico Lopes, who is going over to represent his country,-----

Cape Verde.

-----Cape Verde, in the World Cup. This is where I have a problem. The other problem I have with the likes of the FAI getting that funding is that it has a lot more capacity and manpower to be able to fill out the form to enable it to get the funding. I am on the boards of a number of front-line community organisations and we just do not have the capacity to fill out cumbersome forms. I expect that the Minister will not accept this amendment. I will ask him, if possible, to consider how we can help front-line community organisations to apply for this fund more easily. Perhaps we can give them some resources or direction in that regard and make the process less cumbersome. We want the money that is being taken by CAB going back into the areas that need it the most. There is some poetic justice involved. A mother might have to go out to the credit union to get a loan so she can pay off a drug debt run up by one of her children who is caught up in addiction. When the money that mother paid is taken back from the criminal, and it will be taken from that criminal at some stage, we must ensure that it goes back into the areas that need it the most.

Like my colleague, I am fully supporting this amendment to the Proceeds of Crime and Related Matters Bill. The amendment will make it more likely that the proceeds of crime are repurposed in the communities that are most impacted by crime. When I spoke on this Bill in July, I noted that any efforts that would deny criminals their gain from criminality are to be welcomed and that remains my firm position. It must be made obvious to anybody engaging in criminal activity that for those who profit, any gains will be fleeting and will be confiscated and returned, we hope, to the communities that have suffered and been damaged by criminality. There are many such communities in my home city of Limerick. The aim of Deputy Ward's amendment is positive as it seeks to ensure that the seized proceeds of crime are reintroduced into the communities that have been most impacted by these criminals. CAB has done a good job in identifying and recouping some of the proceeds of crime. The community safety fund, which I have spoken about previously, is extremely positive and does redirect money to the communities. However, I would say that, to date, not enough of that money has been redirected to those communities most impacted. That must change. In my home city of Limerick, we have some of the most deprived areas of the State. It is in conditions of deprivation that organised crime flourishes. It is in places where some people feel despondent that drug addiction becomes most prevalent. Vicious and heartless criminals take advantage and peddle their drugs to some of the most vulnerable in our communities. I understand why they do: the profits are huge. In Limerick, we have several criminal feuds bubbling in the background. Some relate to old family arguments but most pertain to the division of territory and the maximising of illegal profits from drugs, including crack cocaine. Those feuds have led to several violent attacks on property and persons. As I have said many times previously, it is a miracle that nobody has as yet lost their lives in these attacks. The communities most impacted by crime are great communities. I come from one myself. Some of the most wonderful and caring people reside in those areas. Criminal elements and those who seek to illegally gain profit do great damage to these communities. In an effort to exercise control, these criminals seek to destroy all that is good. A children's playground has become a no-go area for kids because one criminal gang has destroyed it and intimidates anybody else who tries to use it. Kids who want to do well in school, play sports and live normal lives are being taunted by the wealth of these often young criminals. These criminals drive around in nice cars, expensive trainers and top-brand clothes. They are often from families who do not work and never have. That sends the message that crime pays. That is a message we must always fight back against. The seizure of illegally gained assets, the seizure of properties purchased through criminal profits, is the most visible way of showing that this so-called success is only fleeting. This is a welcome amendment and I hope the Minister will accept it. It should ensure that assets such as houses can be returned to the communities that have been impacted by crime. On the Bill more generally, I am particularly hopeful that the provision to restrict and freeze the financial accounts and immovable assets in a timelier manner will limit the ability of suspected criminals to use these assets. It is satisfying to see the wealth returned to the communities through the community safety fund, and this amendment should assist in returning the wealth to the communities that the criminals originally took it from. Limerick and other areas face a significant challenge with crime, yet at the same time we have fantastic local community projects across the city that do some great work with limited resources. The Bedford Row Family Project does incredible work trying to break the cycle of imprisonment and crime. It could do with much more funding and increased resources through the community safety fund. I am not a member of the justice committee but I was with its members on Monday when we were able to visit Limerick Prison. The governor and other officials in the prison told us of the massive work the Bedford Row project did in making sure people did not reoffend. It is money well spent. The community safety fund for 2025 was positive for a number of organisations in Limerick, including the Moyross community centre, which got €150,000; and Our Lady of Lourdes Community Service Group, which got €135,877. These are two areas in what was called the Limerick regeneration area, which has come to a shuddering end and left many communities vulnerable without funding, as I have raised here before. Bizarrely, applications from the King's Island area were refused. It includes the St. Mary's Park area in the core of the city centre, the most disadvantaged small area in the whole State according to the Pobal deprivation index. As my colleague Deputy Mark Ward said earlier, some of our communities that we are doing our best to represent do not have the capacity to fill in the forms like other people do. Even if he is not accepting the amendment, I urge the Minister to look at the Pobal deprivation index and to consider measures whereby areas like St. Mary's Park are encouraged and helped to do the application, not to put in an application that often is not accepted. I very much welcome today's debate and the aims of the legislation. This cannot happen in isolation. We must reinvest in these communities. The State must engage with them so that we can limit the allure of a criminal lifestyle that, unfortunately, prevails in some of them.

I support Deputy Mark Ward's amendment. He has already spoken about the legislation we proposed earlier. It is about ensuring that, for those communities that pay the greatest price for organised crime and all the chaos that comes with it, there is some sort of payback. We know none of that is going to be enough. What is needed is something far more comprehensive. I have spoken to the Minister about this. We constantly talk about early interventions, whole-of-government responses and interagency work. We really need to bring those about. We know those areas that are most disadvantaged. It is very simple to get the information from the Pobal index. All of this information is freely to hand in respect of those who suffer from the greatest levels of poverty and disadvantage. We have all known for a considerable time that they are the areas that suffer from what has been a scourge, particularly in relation to drugs and drug gangs. We have all seen the bad examples in estates that have remained for far too long. Like many others, I have said it is not just about a policing solution. I get that does not work. There is a need for it but we have seen the war on drugs fail in America and here. We need something better holistically. We have to look after those who are suffering under addiction. We have insufficient addiction services and do not have the supports that are necessary when we want to bring people away from that life. There has been a failure to have a conversation not only about how we deal with organised crime and the deprivation that feeds it, but also the chaos that has been caused and how we give supports to families and communities. Beyond that, we must build a better society and a community that facilitate everyone. We can literally make this a better place. I was in the drugs committee lately. The experts know what to do and have always known the supports and projects that work and the pilots that failed to be expanded, but we have not done that. A massive increase in those elements of support could see us needing a lot less down the road. I think that is it. This is almost the single transferable speech that everybody has. At the children's committee, the drugs committee and even the disability committee to some degree, it is all about early intervention and putting in those supports. At the children's committee recently, we had the area-based childhood, ABC, programme, Archways, The House in Cox's Demesne from my own constituency, Northside Partnership and even the ISPCC. They all spoke about the number of referrals seeking supports that were coming directly from Tusla. We had Ms Kate Duggan from Tusla before the committee on a different occasion. We all know there are issues around child protection. There are many issues we want to see resolved as well as a framework for protecting the most vulnerable. We also know that, given the need that is out there, the bodies in question and the community voluntary sector they deal with do not have the resources to address this. It involves interagency work. That is all that Tusla, the local authorities and the Garda will talk about. I will welcome it on some level when the community safety partnerships are eventually up and running. I am not sure they are the entire answer or that we have the suite of resources required. We need to be able to deal with the outright criminality and bad examples that kids see. We have to have a conversation about identifying what supports and early interventions are needed. We have seen it work with the likes of the Greentown Project. People who have worked in those sorts of project are aware that they are sometimes dealing with the fourth generation in families, so there is an element of failure. That is not to take away from the good work they have done or the harm reduction. How bad would it be if those projects did not exist? We have not got real about the issues. Included in that is drug debt intimidation, where the mother, father, granny or granddad gets the call and somebody has to cash in a pension, if they are lucky enough to have one, or go to the credit union. Once that tap is open, the drug dealer will be back to it again. We need to be able to shut these people down. The communities generally welcome it when they see action taken. I have welcomed the change of rules about being able to go after criminals for smaller amounts but it is not enough. We need to deal with that. We need to make sure the supports are there and that we do what we can for those who are being groomed by criminal gangs. The legislation we see in this House must be put out in the world and enforced in respect of those who bring young people into criminal gangs and force them to do things, bringing them into a world that only brings negativity. We must put in place whatever supports are necessary to prevent that. We have all seen youth diversion projects that do spectacular work. I have seen it in my own constituency. They have worked a hell of a lot better since the interventions have been happening at an earlier stage. We need to see more of that. That is a more comprehensive conversation. It is about us getting down to the issues in respect of criminality and supports. The local authorities, Tusla and the Garda will put their hands up and say they do not have the tools or powers to deal with the issues that exist at this point. What Deputy Ward has proposed is a means of ensuring we can take back what has been taken by criminals who have put their foot on the neck of our communities for far too long. We must put the money and resources back into those communities and provide resilience. We are talking about very good, very strong communities. It can be a lot better, and we would all benefit from that.

We are coming to the end of the debate and have less than ten minutes left as per the schedule of business. Is it agreed to bring in the Minister to respond?

I would like to contribute on the amendment.

We are time limited. Is it agreed that I bring in the Minister to respond?

How many Members are looking to speak? We could divide it.

I will reply quickly. They can come in.

I will give two minutes each and we will get it done. Is that agreed? Agreed.

The Minister knows my area and knows the need. We also have to address ridiculous situations such as that of the drug ship berthed in Cork which has cost us €12 million to date. That is €12 million that could be spent on those areas as well as CAB money and other investments. It is stupid that we are spending money where we do not need to spend it. The answer from the Revenue chair to the Public Accounts Committee was that he would do it all over again if they were in the same boat. We have to find ways to ensure that where there are ships caught in this way that we offload and get them out of our hands quickly in whatever way in order that it is not a drain on our funding and the money goes into the areas that it is needed. It is not needed in berthing fees, staffing fees and maintenance of a ship that we do not even own.

I support this amendment. Deputy Ward has tabled an important amendment. I ask the Minister to take it on board. If he does not take it on board now, I ask him to incorporate it when he is looking at this legislation and other legislation. What we have now is that the money made on the back of some of the communities that are most affected by drug dealing and criminality is not going back into those communities. That is just not right. We and the Minister know from the Pobal index where these communities are, where the communities who need the help are and where this money should go. I would love to see the Minister encourage CAB and give it the resources to go after more of these drug gangs, suppliers, dealers and criminals. They are destroying communities, families and individuals. CAB might get to them in the end, but we should be getting to them a lot sooner. There are drug dealing families in Cork who have been dealing drugs for nearly 40 years. How can a family be dealing drugs for 40 years and allowed to get away with it? CAB has tackled some of them but there should be a no-nonsense approach to these criminals because of the damage they are doing. There are people in my community who have died by suicide because of the pressure that was put on them and their families as a result of drug debts. That is as good as murder. They drove them to suicide. They need to be tackled head-on. This amendment goes to supporting communities that need it the most. I will give the Minister examples. Golden Gloves Boxing Club has all-Ireland champions and European champions. It is renting a unit at the moment. That will be gone this year. There are 70, 80 or 100 children in the hall of Mayfield Boxing Club. It has no facilities of its own. Elite Boxing Club has no facilities of its own. It is renting again. That money should be going to them. Councillor Michelle Gould put in a motion relating to Knocknaheeny. Why is there no playground in Knocknaheeny? It is one of the most disadvantaged areas. Does the Minister know why? Cork City Council would not replace it because it kept getting damaged. Does the Minister think that it is right that people in Knocknaheeny have no playground because criminals are getting away with it?

I was following the debate in my office. I see this as a good amendment. I do not know if it is going to be accepted tonight or whether it can be factored in at a later stage. I join with what other speakers have said. There was a time when we were a more innocent country. People would set off on holidays and put the VCR under the pillowcase, pull the curtains and hope that no one would break into their house. How murky things have become since then, with drug dealing and the crime that goes hand-in-hand with it now having permeated everywhere. I have listened to a lot of the urban Deputies. There are urban parts of my county, but the problem has gone to every rural village as well. I recently asked some parliamentary questions about the Criminal Assets Bureau. It is doing fantastic work. There was a term I heard some years ago at a joint policing committee. People were pushing for what is called "mini CAB". In every single village and housing estate, there is some boyo with a fancy car in the driveway. He will have two or three holidays and watches like we have never seen before on his wrists. He is living a life over and beyond what anyone around him could afford. It is two fingers to the law; it is two fingers to his neighbours. People call to his house night after night, and they are not buying popcorn. We all know what is going on. It is happening in every single village. Our gardaí do a fine job, but they are not resourced enough to do all of this. In response, I got an interesting answer. It was a positive one. The Minister told me that there are now 620 gardaí trained up as divisional asset profilers. Beyond doing day-to-day policing and driving through communities, they are spotting these people living way beyond their means and report it to the Criminal Assets Bureau. The budget for CAB has gone up. The number of gardaí doing this has gone up. We need to move beyond the Kinahan-Hutch level crime we see on the front page of the Sunday World. In every community, there is an absolute scumbag tearing the heart of that community apart. As other Deputies have said, they are driving people to the point that they have to take their lives rather than having their life taken from them by somebody else. We need to add an additional layer of taking down these crime families who are in every single community. I do not know whether it will be accepted tonight, but what we are all speaking about here needs to become embodied in justice policy. I congratulate the Minister on his work to date. He has made a real stamp on the Department. I wish him continued success.

I thank colleagues for their contributions. I thank Deputy Ward for tabling this amendment. Deputy Ward would be aware that we had a good conversation and discussion about his amendment on Committee Stage. We all share the same objective here. Obviously, CAB does an excellent job in seizing assets that are the proceeds of crime. In recent years, we have managed to develop a situation where we can get some of those assets and reinvest them back into the community. I want to see that sum of money growing each year. It is in the region of €4 million to €4.6 million this year. I want to see it continue to grow in order that more proceeds from crime will be put back directly into the communities affected by crime. Regarding what Deputies have said, everyone generally recognises that the entities that have been given funding under the community safety fund this year are deserving. I heard what Deputy Ward said in respect of the FAI, but it is a project that is called a game of two halves. When we look at the broad group of people and entities who have received money under the community safety fund, they are worthwhile. The purpose of the amendment is to try to set out a statutory test that I will have to target money at areas that are indicated as being areas of high disadvantage under the Pobal scheme. As Deputy Ó Murchú said, we all know the areas of most disadvantage. The reason I did not accept the amendment on Committee Stage and cannot accept it here is that it is going to put in place a legal statutory process that would require me or another Minister to get a review every year and then ensure that I comply with the provisions set out in this amendment. It is a much better scenario for a Minister, whoever he or she may be, to be able to have an informal scheme whereby moneys can be given directly to all these worthwhile projects. I would love to have more time to respond, but I gave it to colleagues. There is a lot of great work being done by these projects around the country. I want to ensure that we get more money from the proceeds of crime and send it directly back into the community. For the reasons I have given now and on Committee Stage, I cannot accept the amendment.

The Minister did not reference what I asked. If he cannot accept the amendment, will he have a look at the forms-----

I will.

-----in order to allow front-line community organisation to compete with the likes of the FAI? They cannot compete with the manpower and expertise of organisations like the FAI when it comes to applying for funding. I am on a couple of boards in my area, including the Clondalkin addiction support programme and the Clondalkin Equine Club. The Clondalkin Equine Club is one example of a group that keeps young people off the streets. It is an urban horse programme. It has one part-time manager and there is a voluntary board of which I am a member. For that organisation to even apply for CAB funding takes a hell of a lot of manpower. If I can get one commitment from the Minister today, it would be for him to have a look at those forms and to put something in place that will help disadvantaged communities and organisations and make it easier for them to apply for the funding. Organised criminals offer absolutely nothing to our communities. All they do is rip the hearts out of them. They cause devastation and hardship in our areas. I accept that this Bill will go some way towards making this a lot easier but I would still like to see this money redirected into the communities affected most.