Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

First, I ask the Taoiseach to respond to a matter raised by Deputies Gay Mitchell and Billy Timmins on a number of occasions. This country does not have the capacity to deter a terrorist attack from the air. I thank the Minister, Deputy Ahern, but I think the Taoiseach knows the answer. What is the position if the Government and the security forces are made aware that a plane has been hijacked by terrorists somewhere in Europe and is on its way to attack Dublin, as was pointed out by the head of the Scotland Yard Metropolitan Police, Sir Ian Blair, recently when he said that Dublin is as much a likely target for a terrorist attack as any other major city? What would happen in those circumstances or has the security committee and the Government considered such a scenario? Would the RAF have to be called in from either Northern Ireland or Britain to intercept a hijacked aircraft? What are the contingency plans for such an event?

Second, after the London bombings it was obvious that the fire brigade was critical to the response to that terrorist attack. Its members were able to launch rescue operations and tend to the wounded very quickly and there appeared to be a clear strategy of co-ordination between the fire brigade systems in the greater London area. In the event of something like that happening in Dublin, will there be co-ordination between Meath, Kildare, Carlow and Wicklow from a fire brigade perspective to get into the city? Is there a co-ordinated plan of action for dealing with such an event? Have those services carried out simulated emergency exercises on that basis? Should that not be central to this process when we consider, for instance, that as a result of a power failure in Wexford two weeks ago we could have had a serious emergency on our hands with people on trolleys in hospitals and so on? If a major emergency had arisen in Wexford that week, God forbid, what would have happened? Has the security committee considered those issues in the unlikely event that they will happen?

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