Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

This is a sad day, and one which we had all hoped we would not have to revisit. We are in the wake of two horrific murders of two young soldiers on Saturday night, the horrific murder last night of a police officer and the injuries that were inflicted on the pizza delivery people. This was firstly an attack on human beings. Two young men going out to collect a pizza, unarmed, were shot down. It was a cowardly act. The police officer murdered last night was a public servant going out to respond to an apparent call for assistance from a member of the public. He was doing the work we would expect any police officer to do in the normal course of duty, and he walked into a trap and was shot down and murdered.

This was an attack on democracy. These attacks were intended to undermine the democratic institutions established in Northern Ireland. It is important that we stand together in this House, just as the political parties stood together yesterday in the Northern Ireland Assembly, to roundly condemn this and to say we are not having it and that there will be no going back to the past. It was an unpatriotic act. This country, North and South, faces enormous economic difficulties. People are losing their jobs and businesses. We need investment in our country and jobs created. The last thing we need is a message going out to the wider world that there is trouble in Ireland again. Those of us who have been in contact internationally with companies, governments and political parties know that people do not distinguish between North and South. They see there is trouble in Ireland and it will do damage all around.

It is critically important that those responsible for the murders last night and on Saturday night are brought to justice. The Taoiseach said the legislation is in place and I would like to hear him express confidence that they will be brought to justice. As Deputy Kenny said, we have talked here on previous occasions during questions to the Taoiseach about the possible threats from dissident republicans. We are discussing a small number of isolated people who do not enjoy a mandate or public support. Now is the time to weed out this and to deal with it. It is important this is dealt with quickly by the security forces and the police forces here and in Northern Ireland and that it is not allowed to grow and that if there is a pattern and this is the start of some kind of campaign that it is stopped effectively by the means open to the Government and to the instruments of the State.

I appreciate that the Taoiseach may be constrained in informing us on the public record as to the intelligence available to the Government. However, will he brief the leaders of the Opposition parties in respect of the measures which will and can be taken to bring this to an end and to ensure we do not have a continuation of what we have seen in recent days?

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