Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 8: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the action he has taken following a recent incident whereby a Slovakian national entering the jurisdiction unwittingly carried explosives on a flight from Poprad-Tatry to Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5717/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The circumstances surrounding the import of an explosive substance to Ireland from the Slovak Republic on 2 January 2010 are a matter of serious concern to me and to the Government.

The background to this incident is that the Dublin Airport authorities contacted the Garda Síochána on 5 January 2010 to inform it that they had received a communication purporting to be from the Slovak authorities apparently to the effect that, due to an error during an airport security test exercise on 2 January 2010 at Poprad-Tatry Airport, a sample package containing explosives was left in the luggage of a passenger who boarded a flight for Dublin.

Gardaí moved swiftly to retrieve the explosive substance and, with the assistance of an Army explosive ordnance disposal team, ensured that it did not pose any further danger to the public. It emerged that the passenger, who had resided in Ireland for a number of years, was completely unaware when he was travelling to Dublin that the sample had been placed in his luggage.

I spoke directly with the Slovak Minister of Interior, Mr. Kalinak, about the incident and he gave me an unequivocal apology. I conveyed to him in the clearest possible terms my deep concern about the situation which had arisen. It is utterly unacceptable that explosive material should have been placed on an unsuspecting passenger in this way. I had occasion to meet the official Slovak representative at the recent meeting of EU Justice and Interior Ministers and he conveyed to me the regret of the Slovak authorities and apologised for the incident. He also indicated that measures have been put in place in Slovakia to avoid a recurrence.

The Garda Commissioner has appointed a detective chief superintendent to inquire into all the circumstances surrounding the incident. That inquiry is ongoing and a report is awaited. Until the report is available, it is not possible to say for definite how the error occurred in Slovakia and what actions were taken by the authorities there when it was discovered. I have received an assurance from the Slovak Minister that his officials will fully co-operate with the Garda inquiry and when the report is completed I will consider what further action, if any, is required on my part.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The Minister will be aware of the serious nature of the matter. I am sure his attention has also been drawn to the fact that his Slovak counterpart narrowly survived a motion of no confidence in the Parliament.

The incident raises a number of serious questions for the Minister. I ask him to indicate to the House the timeline and terms of reference set out for the Garda investigation and report. I would have thought that it is at an advanced stage at this point and that we would be in a position to examine it in its entirety.

With regard to consultation between the Minister and the Minister for Transport on security matters, I note that the proposal to introduce full body scanners at airports has been given a positive reception. They will be aware, however, that body scanners operate on passengers who are departing rather than those who are arriving. If security measures in countries such as Slovakia are as lax as this incident would indicate, I suggest that we consider reviewing security at points of entry to the State. What steps have been taken by way of discussions with appropriate authorities since this incident on the matter of improving security at points of entry?

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The internationally accepted and adopted approach to security is that passenger and baggage screening takes place on departure rather than on arrival. Every country relies on the security arrangements in the departing country. It is accepted that there are some states where security is not as it should be. That is something I raised at the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting in the context of the wider discussion of security, body scanners and other types of security measures that could be implemented.

What happened in Slovakia was a bit of an aberration. I understand it was a relatively small airport that has adequate security but a mistake was made due to human error. That is something about which we should all be conscious given the fact that groups such as al-Qaeda are using aeroplanes to carry out dastardly operations. It is something the international community could consider more closely. I understand the European Commission has asked the Slovakian authorities for a report. The remit of the detective garda is to investigate all of the circumstances surrounding this incident, both in terms of what happened in Slovakia and in this country. The Garda acted expeditiously and properly once it was notified on 5 January that this incident had taken place.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I am sure no blame at all attaches to the Garda Síochána in this matter. I do not understand why investigations into whatever aspect of this kind of matter take so long in this country. When matters arise that require to be investigated in the public interest, the public has long forgotten what the issue was by the time a report is made. That seems to be a deliberate tactic of the public administrative-political system.

Arising from his discussions with the Slovakian ambassador and any other exchanges that have taken place between the authorities of the two states, is the Minister satisfied that they appreciate the enormity of the negligence demonstrated? Do they appreciate the implications for the young man who might well have lost his life, or that the human error, as the Minister described it, might have blown an aeroplane out of the sky, and that this young man might have killed his neighbours in Dublin when he came back to reside in this country? Do the Slovakian authorities appreciate the gravity of what the Minister has described as a "human error"?

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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They very much do. As Deputy Flanagan outlined, there was significant political upheaval in Slovakia following the incident. It was one of the reasons the Minister for the Interior, who happens to be the Deputy Prime Minister of Slovakia was not able to attend the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting, and that the ambassador to Spain attended as his representative.

The Slovakian ambassador to Ireland immediately contacted my Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs to apologise profusely. I understand the gravity and the enormity of the situation. The Deputy is correct; if things had gone wrong at this end people might have been killed. The concept of the surreptitious planting of devices such as this on a person, even as an exercise, is not something that should be countenanced. I understand that in this instance the device of itself was not capable of exploding. I understand also that the Slovakian authorities have moved to ensure it does not happen ever again and that it is banned in their society. From my own knowledge, I know that it does not happen in this country.