Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I join the Taoiseach and Deputy Kenny in condemning the recent bombing in Derry and the succession of incidents that have arisen as a result of dissident republican activity. It is not just that it is a small, unrepresentative group of people who are involved in this activity. It is also that it flies directly in the face of the determined will of the Irish people as expressed in the ballot box in the referenda on the Good Friday Agreement. These groups are attempting to derail that Agreement and the political institutions in Northern Ireland. It would appear that their hope is to carry out a bombing attack that will succeed, as far as they are concerned, provoke some kind of counter-reaction and try to bring down the institutions. It is critically important that they are dealt with forcefully and effectively at this early stage rather than allow them develop and assemble support or succeed in any of their activities. In that regard, is the Taoiseach satisfied that the Garda has sufficient resources to deal with the threat and if there is a sufficient level of co-operation between the Garda Síochána and the Police Service of Northern Ireland in regard to their activities?

With regard to the Taoiseach's meeting with Prime Minister Cameron, were there any discussions at that meeting about a possible visit to this State by Queen Elizabeth? Has a visit been confirmed and have any dates been agreed or are there any indicative dates as to when that visit might take place?

With regard to the issue of the report which came out during the summer on the bombing in Claudy which reported that a priest, Fr. James Chesney, was involved in the bombing and was subsequently moved from his parish to a parish in County Donegal with the involvement of the then Secretary of State, the late William Whitelaw, and the late Cardinal Conway. I do not recall seeing any formal Government response to that report when it came out but were the authorities in this State notified at that time, or does the Taoiseach know if they were notified, that Fr. Chesney was being moved from the parish he was in at the time of the bombing to a parish in Donegal, and if they were briefed as to what the thinking of the Northern Ireland authorities and of the Catholic Church authorities was at the time regarding that matter?

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