Mattie McGrath warns on EU opt-ins, gun crime and prisons
Mattie McGrath challenges the pace of recent EU opt-ins, arguing they are being adopted with insufficient legal scrutiny and without proper impact analysis. He warns the decisions risk rural livelihoods, local gun clubs, farming practices and may compound crime problems tied to prison releases.
Opt-ins and legal oversight:
McGrath tells the Dáil that repeated opt-ins to European agreements are proceeding too quickly and without proper legal or impact assessment. He frames the rollout as rushed legislation that leaves legislators and the public unsure of the long-term consequences.
Rural groups not consulted:
He highlights a lack of consultation with local organisations, naming the ABNB gun club in his area and other gun clubs around the country. McGrath says these clubs perform conservation and habitat work and have not been engaged about how new rules will affect sporting, pest control and game-management activities.
Farming and practical impact:
McGrath raises practical concerns for farmers, citing examples such as crop protection and the need for shotguns to manage crows, deer and vermin. He warns that new restrictions could damage the ability of farmers to protect their livelihoods and local ecosystems.
Prison releases and crime risk:
He also links the issue to problems in the prison service, arguing that overcrowding and releases into unsuitable accommodation are contributing to a rise in crime. McGrath says this combination of factors risks producing further gun crime and serious offences if not addressed alongside any EU measures.
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I too wish you well, Minister, in your role, but I am concerned about these opt-ins. We are opting in very often now here. Without any proper legal scrutiny or any impact analysis, you know, none of us can say there's not a huge problem with gun crime. It's outrageous, the availability of guns and the activity of it. All the opt-ins we like and all the European agreements, if we happen to gather Chicana on the ground to deal with it, and we don't have them, full stop. I also have huge concerns, and I want to commend the ABNB, a gun club in my own area, four parishes, and also the many gun clubs around the country who do excellent work in nurturing species that are in danger and habitats and everything else. And they have huge concerns here, and there's absolutely no consultation with the national organisation or with those clubs. And their concerns, and also the farmers, who cannot farm potatoes now, for instance, coming up, and the crows. You have to have a shotgun, you can have these bangers and everything else, but also for deer hunting and for indeed shooting vermin. So it's just, these people are not being consulted, and the worry is that this is the tin end of the wedge. We opt into this, we don't know what it is, and where it ends up when it comes down on top of us. I also have huge issues with the prison service at the moment, who are double the number of prisoners that they can hold. And they're releasing prisoners on a regular basis, into unscrupulous landlords, some of them IPAS centres. I attended a briefing in the AV room this morning. It's shocking, the money that's being paid to some greedy developers here, and friends in high places. Literally billions of money overall, and people are going in there as deputy, or even from age, you said here, Paul, Deputy Paul Ollis, that it's just shocking. They're putting one and two and three different criminals that have been released here without any proper rehab, and they're running a cocktail for more crime, and more gun crime, and all kinds of heinous crime. So we can come in here, rushed legislation to opt into this, that and the other with the EU. We're forgetting about the ordinary people that look after our country, look after our land, look after our heritage, and of course our habitats. And yet, we don't know what we're passing, what impact it's going to have on them, and on the farming community, to try and survive, and eat out of living, and protect their crops, and above all, protect their people. So, this is wide open for abuse from the EU afterwards. Thank you.
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