Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

My party will support the Government on this occasion. Regrettably, certain events during the past 12 months have highlighted the need for us to renew this legislation. As the Minister has said, it was introduced in the aftermath of the horror of the Omagh bomb. With the passage of time, the difficulty was that many people did not recognise or remember that horror. If they needed to be reminded, the death of Constable Ronan Kerr will have served as a reminder. The response of our democratic institutions to the Omagh tragedy was robust. We are required to continue that response this evening, in light of the death of Constable Kerr and the subsequent threat to the lives of Catholic members of the PSNI. Such people have fulfilled the vision of the Good Friday Agreement by getting involved in the police force. The agreement was endorsed by the community, by most organisations in this House and by many people on this island. For some bizarre reason, certain people are continuing to threaten the lives of Catholics who want to be part of the PSNI. For that reason alone, this House should unite in renewing the provisions of the 1998 legislation.

In October 2010, the authorities in Britain increased the threat level associated with Irish-related terrorism to "substantial". This shows that the threat of dissident republicans, who are affected by this legislation, continues to be as real and active as the threat of international terrorism. I compliment the Garda and the Army on the manner in which they have dealt with this threat, particularly before and during the visits of Queen Elizabeth and President Obama. In light of all the activities, including arrests, that were reported around that time, it is strange that section 12 of the 1998 Act was not used. Media reports give one the impression that these organisations, particularly dissident so-called republican organisations, are on the verge of increasing their capacity to use arms, firearms and explosives. Perhaps there are charges in the pipeline under section 12. I hope that provision is used to prevent - God forbid - another Omagh from happening.

We need to examine the composition of dissident organisations. By continuing to abuse the term "Óglaigh na hÉireann", they are showing complete contempt for the democratic institutions of this State and the fine men and women who serve in our Defence Forces. This is another reason for the House to unite in support of this proposal. There is only one group that can call itself Óglaigh na hÉireann. I refer to the men and women of the Defence Forces who put their lives on the line to serve this country abroad. They are heading to Lebanon once again. They have a fine track record of representing Ireland across the world. They are the Óglaigh na hÉireann to whom this House and this country owes allegiance. We will show that allegiance by passing this legislation.

By coincidence, the RACO magazine, Signal, appeared on my desk today. It includes a good article by the security editor of the Irish Independent, Tom Brady, which should be read by anyone who doubts the reality of the situation we face. The article refers to the current situation with regard to dissident republicanism in Northern Ireland. Mr. Brady warns that vicious attacks like that which killed Ronan Kerr "could happen again" and argues that "existing deterrents should not be watered down". This evening, we are renewing this procedure rather than watering it down. I agree with the Minister that it is regrettable that we have to do so. We owe it to the Garda, the Defence Forces and the people of this island to renew this measure as long as there is a threat to their safety and their ability to get on with their jobs and fulfil the dream of the Good Friday agreement. That is why we are supporting the Government.

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