During heated exchanges with Fine Gael deputies the Minister for Justice defended his suggestion that local authorities should set pub opening hours. Mr McDowell said communities, through their locally elected representatives, could choose whether they wanted an earlier closing time.
"I would remind the deputies opposite that most of them were, two years ago, strongly supportive of the pub opening hours which they now claim was a mistake," he said. Mr McDowell was replying to a Fine Gael private member's motion critical of the Government's record on crime.
Several Fine Gael deputies contributed to the debate, following introductory remarks by the party's spokesman on justice, Mr John Deasy.
Mr McDowell said he had faced a "phalanx of half-thought-out, non-thought-out, negative and insubstantial criticism." He accused the Fine Gael deputies of failing to put even 10 minutes' work into their speeches. He said that Mr Deasy should get a "brass neck" award, given that he wanted to make it illegal for citizens of 18 years to have a drink.
"Cop yourself on, deputy. People who have the right to vote have the right to have a drink."
He added that Mr Deasy had also suggested that there be no alcohol at State functions. Addressing Mr Deasy, he said: "You may be fit for the Horlicks stakes. But as far as I am concerned, we intend to live in an ordinary, civilised way in this society. Puerile, ill-thought-out proposals of that kind do Fine Gael no credit as a political party."
Earlier Mr Deasy said that in the summer of 2000 pub opening times had been extended. "As a result of that, there has been a marked increase in the level of violence on the streets of every town and city in the country.
"Groups such as Victim Support have made a direct link with the increase in calls to their offices and the liberalisation of the drinking laws."
Now, he said, the Minister for Justice wanted local authorities to further liberalise the pub opening times, in some cases up to 2 a.m. "It is a crazy, nonsensical, bizarre notion."
Current Garda resources to deal with the level of street violence were inadequate, said Mr Deasy. "That is coming from senior members of the Garda and ordinary gardaí on the beat. There are not enough gardaí. How in God's name are they going to manage if they have to police every pub until 2 a.m.?"
Mr Deasy said the Garda overtime budget had been reduced from €69 million to €50 million. "Imagine the situation where you have people in one local authority area travelling to another local authority area for drinks."
The Labour spokesman on justice, Mr Joe Costello, revealed he would shortly present a paper to the parliamentary party on dealing with crime in the community and reform of the role of the Garda.
He said the Government's record was abysmal. "The most recent Garda figures on crime show a record level of homicides and a 93 per cent rise in violent offences. Minister O'Donoghue's policy of zero tolerance was a total sham - a fig leaf to hide the Government's inertia."
He added that Mr McDowell had promised action on every front, but the only policies he had implemented were the closure of a prison, Shanganagh Castle, and reneging on his commitment to put 2,000 extra gardaí on the streets.
"Past policies of law and order and zero tolerance are not the answer. They have proven no more than empty rhetoric and mere substitutes for action on the ground," Mr Costello said.
A community policing forum, involving the participation of the community and gardaí, was required. The Garda Commissioner should be directly accountable to the Oireachtas, he said.
The House will vote on the motion tonight.
