Social justice campaigner, Fr Peter McVerry has branded as ''daft'' and ''unnecessary'' new anti-begging laws introduced by the Government.
Fr McVerry, who has worked with homeless people for over 30 years, said it would instead make more sense to address the social conditions in our society that create the need to beg.
''The waiting lists for treatment programmes for drug addicts can take up to 12 months, some homeless people won't go into night shelters for good reasons and therefore don't have an address to get welfare and people can often wait several weeks for their welfare payments to go through.
''These people then often have no option but to beg and I think it's better for society that they beg than rob. To be honest I find these laws a bit daft and unnecessary,'' he said.
Under the legislation, which was first announced last May by then Minister for Justice, Dermot Ahern, a person who begs in an ''aggressive, intimidating or threatening manner'' will be guilty of an offence.
The new powers will enable An Garda Síochána to direct anyone begging near ATMs, night safes or shop entrances to leave the area.
''I don't condone aggressive or professional begging and I've no problem with that type of begging being criminalised. I wouldn't give money to children or to an adult carrying a baby in her arms and in fact I'd encourage people not to give money in these cases. It's not fair to the child and it enables this behaviour to continue,'' Fr McVerry added.
''However, the reality exists is our society is wealthy enough to accommodate all homeless people so the question is what's happening in our society that allows homelessness to happen? That's an uncomfortable question but it's one we need to be faced with or this kind of thing will just go on and on. It's time we looked at ourselves in the mirror.''
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