The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Gerry Breen, last week announced that he has “received confirmation” that new begging legislation will go to Committee stage in the Dáil within the next two weeks and “is likely to be passed into law before Christmas.”
The Lord Mayor said Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern deserves credit for his “consistent and active promotion” of this badly needed legislation.
The Epoch Times contacted Mr Breen to find out who was behind the new move to remove beggars from Dublin Streets. It was the Lord Mayors belief that not all beggars are homeless, and that many are indeed professionals that operate in gangs.
“A lot of it is organised and people are dropped off. The way things stand at present, the Guards can do nothing about it. The new begging bill will allow Guards to deter people from begging,” said Mr Breen.
At the Central Hotel in Exchequer Street, Dublin, this week, speakers Daithi Downey, Deputy Chairman of Focus Ireland, and Father Peter McVerry, were among those who discussed ‘Homelessness -- A National Scandal or a Priority?’ In a statement, the speakers declared that homelessness is rising in Irish society and coinciding with an increase in “on-street begging.”
Labour Equality Chairman Bernard Cantillon, commenting on the begging bill issue, said, “I am against the bill; there are invariably people who are drug takers and homeless on our city streets, they already find themselves in desolate situations. Some are waiting to be enrolled on a methadone programme which has a year’s waiting list; I can hardly think of a worse existence than sitting in a doorway in freezing weather conditions for hours on end begging, and it will be a further indignity when they are consistently moved on.”
Mr Cantillon also thinks that there are people, mainly women and children, who are trafficked into Dublin and forced to beg. “Ireland is known as a hub for trafficking,” said Mr Cantillion.
Fine Gael’s Deirdre Clune said in a statement that a balance needs to be struck, and the message must go out that the legislation will not clamp down on begging completely, regardless of the circumstances of those engaged in it.
“Section 1 of the bill recognises that begging is legal if it is not accompanied by aggravation factors. This is an important factor because if a beggar is found guilty of harassment, obstruction or intimidation, he or she can be fined 400 euro or imprisoned for a month.”
“Gardai will be allowed to move beggars on, and this is particularly relevant when beggars station themselves beside ATM machines or at business premises. I hope this bill will be implemented in a balanced manner, because given the current downturn more people will be forced to beg.”
Mayor Breen commented that visitors to Dublin as well as its citizens deserve to enjoy Dublin’s public spaces and that this entitlement has been eroded over recent years, with begging reaching epidemic proportions.
Begging, according to Mr Breen, is now done in a manner which obstructs people.
Lord Mayor Breen said that the new legislation would not outlaw begging. “Rather, it will give the power back to the guardians of the people – the Gardai – to intervene and ensure that people can once again enjoy their public spaces.”
Fianna Fail Deputy Michael Kennedy emphasised that it’s important that charity collectors will be allowed to continue the work they do, as the country has a great record in terms of supporting different charities.
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