Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

All of these questions could in themselves warrant a full meeting of this committee, as they are very serious issues for the future of our country, of the European Union and of the people of the world.

Senators Mullins, Daly and Walsh and Deputy Mathews asked about my responsibilities in terms of Northern Ireland, the Irish citizen who continues to be detained in Egypt, the horrendous situation in Syria and the position of Ireland vis-à-visinternational and terrorist attacks. On Northern Ireland, of course there is ongoing engagement. I very much regret the fact that some aspects of the agenda were not fully dealt with, but that does not detract from what is an important agreement and I acknowledge the contribution of Deputy Ó Snodaigh's party towards that. Now, for the first time, there is a comprehensive plan in place to end the scourge of paramilitarism from the island of Ireland and as Minister, I will monitor the commitments entered into by the parties. The devolved institutions are on a sound financial footing and there is agreement by all to tackle the scourge of organised crime.

However, there are aspects of the agenda on which we were not in a position to reach a final agreement. Following the period of reflection we are now in, there needs to be ongoing engagement and I believe we can succeed in that. I believe that part and parcel of ensuring we tackle the legacy issues of the past, are the commitments given on the matter of the release of papers with particular reference to the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. I will continue to engage positively in that regard.

On the matter of the Irish citizen detained in Cairo, I wish to stress how important it is that people do not lose sight of the fact that any decision on the matter of his release will ultimately be taken by the authorities in Cairo, not the authorities in Dublin. I have been asked to assist by advocating that the Taoiseach lift the telephone, but he has done more than that. He has actively and positively engaged on a regular basis, as have I, on this issue. I acknowledge the Senator's visit to Cairo was recognised as important at the highest level. The Government continues to engage at all levels. I am aware that some in this room do not agree with the Government's approach, but I appeal to everyone who has the best interests of this citizen in mind to ensure that actions taken and public statements made are not such that they would ultimately jeopardise his position.

As the Chair is aware, we continue to engage at the highest level. Of all the consular cases and files the Department has ever had, this case is high among them in terms of commitment on the part of officials, ambassadors and the engagement of myself, the Senator and the Taoiseach. We want to achieve a positive result for this citizen and to see his release at the earliest opportunity. We will continue to work towards that. Mention was made of the Australian foregin Minister and other international figures. I met with the Australian foreign Minister on this issue and have engaged with other international representatives to try to ensure the case of the Irish citizen can be made firmly and in a way that ultimately will give rise to a satisfactory conclusion. It is my hope that the trial will take place on the return date in December.

The matter of Syria is a huge challenge with which we are all familiar. For a long time now, a ceasefire has been sought. Staffan de Mistura has given a great commitment at local level. Despite the horror and ongoing atrocities, there are signs of hope. Key players are now around the table, including Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia. There are hopeful signs that people are working sincerely and urgently to negotiate a peace settlement that will protect the rights of the Syrian people and move matters towards a more stable footing.

The question raised by Senator Mullins on the position of Ireland vis-à-visnational security and a possible attack within our jurisdiction was raised by Members in the House earlier today. The Minister for Justice takes the lead in regard to national security and I keep in close, regular contact with her. I assure members that the level of threat is kept under constant review by our security forces, An Garda Síochána, but nevertheless there is always a possibility of an attack. We need to ensure that the Garda continues to co-operate fully with our EU partners and that we intensify our intelligence and information sharing capacity. This is happening.

The likelihood of an attack on Ireland must always be considered a possibility. However, it is unlikely. We have no information containing any form of threat from international terrorism. This is an international problem and we need to ensure we have an appropriate and adequate level of intelligence sharing. The activities of a small number of people based here whose behaviour may well be of concern to the Garda is known and is monitored closely and all appropriate measures are being taken in that regard. Ultimately, at EU level and beyond, through the international community and through important influencers in middle eastern states and the Arab League, we must use every opportunity to bring an end to the conflicts giving rise to mindless acts of international terrorism by people who have no regard for the rule of law or democracy, a consequence of which is the unprecedented international movement of people we have referred to.