...Deputy Daniel Ennis: Tusla has reported that children as young as eight, nine and ten years of age are being groomed into drug gangs and into crime. These primary school children. I have a nine-year-old son and I am raising him in the north inner city, so this worries me. It really hits home for me because I come from the north inner city, live there and represent it. We have seen the deployment of resources into the north inner city this week when the State needs it but not when the community needs it. Where is the same urgency when these communities are crying out for resources and protection from these drug gangs? Children are being petrol-bombed in their front sitting rooms but there is still no action and still no resources.

It is no fluke that these children live in communities with the highest rates of child homelessness and child poverty. Criminals are preying on that vulnerability. Years of Government neglect have left our communities without the support they need. The way the Tánaiste is speaking at the moment, I would not be surprised if he blamed the children themselves for this. How is the Government supporting this? Why is it throwing resources in for one week for EU meetings but not for communities which have needed them for generations?

Deputy Peter Burke: The Government takes very seriously any impact on children which the Deputy described. Critically, we have record levels of support for An Garda Síochána. The Deputy will be very much aware of the Dublin city task force and the work that has been carried out to rejuvenate our city centre, working to try to empower communities and ensure they have the resources.

That should not be compared to Ireland taking to the stage on the geopolitical landscape, working to get peace and to try to bring Ireland's values to a European stage. We will always stand by communities that are under pressure....

...Deputy Robert O'Donoghue: A serious incident happened in my constituency, Dublin Fingal West, on Hallowe'en. A canister of nitrous oxide gas was left beside a bonfire. The heat effectively turned it into an explosive device. Tragically, it exploded and a young girl was hit and injured. She came close to losing her leg. First and foremost, I would like to wish her well and wish her a speedy recovery. While we wait for further legislation around nitrous oxide, we need urgent action now. We need a dedicated national awareness campaign to educate everybody about the real dangers of the substance.

Ella, who is in the Gallery, is a transition year student on placement with me this week. I thank her for input. She highlighted something concerning. She has been unable to find any accessible information about these dangers through her school or through social media. County councils spend an inordinate amount disposing of these canisters at significant cost to the taxpayer. They are not only used as a recreational drug ; they can become explosive devices. We need an education, awareness and prevention programme to be rolled out.

Deputy Peter Burke: I acknowledge nitrous oxide is a significant issue and the challenges and dangers the Deputy described. I thank Ella for her engagement with the Deputy in raising this issue and doing the research. I will speak with the Minister for justice and ask him to come back to them both. We need legislation but we also need to highlight awareness...