With the centre of Dublin now mostly deserted, there's concern drug dealing is becoming more prevalent in certain suburbs.
Sinn Féin TD Dessie Ellis says there's been a marked increase in dealing in Finglas and Ballymun in recent weeks.
He says with less users in the city centre, there's been a resurgence in some areas.
Deputy Ellis says there's a spike in the problem as social welfare payments are made available;
"We're also seeing a pattern when people are getting more money it seems to be more concentrated."
He went on to say; "For instance a lot of people are getting say two weeks now, social welfare or otherwise, so you're seeing a peak when that happens and then it sort of lessens the following week when there's little or no money available."
He says Garda patrols have increased in the suburbs since the pandemic began but Deputy Ellis has raised concerns about the potential impact of drug dealing on households;
"You've a bigger concentration of people coming home, who have addiction problems and otherwise, so that in itself can lead to serious problems in the house."
