Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy Calleary for his comments; we have made similar comments in the past so it is appropriate to again acknowledge the extraordinary job the gardaí did in circumstances of some difficulty, where a small minority who were intent on trouble had to be dealt with and that was done in a most efficient and appropriate manner, ensuring neither visit was disrupted or spoiled in the manner some intended.

Some of the final accounting issues will be resolved by the end of the month and we will have the full figures early in July. It is important that the Garda Commissioner, who is the Accounting Officer, has the time to collate all of the relevant information. It is regrettable that this amount had to be spent. The visits were successful and of great importance internationally. They have done the country a great deal of good; events relating to the Queen were projected around the world and secured huge media coverage in many places. I would prefer if the money had been available for other purposes and that the small group of people who sought to cause disruption and difficulty had not done so. If they had not done so, the funds would have been available for other purposes.

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