Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that and I thank Deputy Adams for his confirmation. Ireland cannot consider itself immune from international terrorist threats and the level of threat from this source is kept under constant review by the Garda Síochána, particularly in light of changes that take place in the current international climate. There is no specific information on any threat to this country from international terrorism but we will focus on any other measures that can be taken to prevent an attack such as that in Tunisia.

The Garda authorities and the Garda Commissioner will work very closely with their international security and intelligence counterparts in counteracting any threat and they take appropriate operational measures where needed. I do not have access to the detail of what those operational measures might be. The activities of a small number of people based in Ireland and whose behaviour may be of concern in this regard will continue to be monitored closely and regularly. This country also contributes actively to the actions that have been brought forward at EU level by the justice and home affairs Ministers to support the work of member states in counteracting the threat from terrorism, and these include actions to address the foreign fighter phenomenon and to combat violent radicalisation. We also engage with international partners, including the United States, the Council of Europe and the United Nations, in efforts to combat ongoing terrorism and radicalisation.

The Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) (Amendment) Act 2015 was enacted here on 8 June and further strengthens Ireland's laws to address the international terrorist phenomenon. It contains three offences, namely, public provocation to commit terrorist offences, recruitment for terrorism and training for terrorism. These offences carry penalties of ten years' imprisonment on conviction and on indictment and are especially pertinent to the nature of the current challenges presented by international terrorism given that there is clear evidence across Europe of people who are engaged in the radicalisation of others. I listened to the father of the person who was the main perpetrator of the murders on the beaches in Tunisia and there seemed to have been a total change in the young man's nature and personality. The legislation here complements the State's existing body of counterterrorism law, including the Offences Against the State Act and the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005.

The Government has given priority to this issue. During Ireland's recent Presidency of the Council of the European Union, we were successful in gaining the agreement of member states to review the EU strategy for counter-radicalisation and recruitment to terrorism. Work is continuing on this matter at various levels within the European Union and Ireland participates in that. One of the issues that needs to be addressed in that review is how best to manage the phenomenon known as foreign fighters. Ireland is also a member of a group of like-minded states established during the Irish Presidency to develop a response to this issue. The Minister for Justice and Equality has met her EU colleagues with a view to building momentum behind a range of efforts to resolve this particular issue. In 2014, we co-sponsored the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2198, which set out a series of measures to address the growing problem of international terrorism, including the foreign fighter phenomenon and international radicalisation. Earlier this year, we also participated actively in the negotiation of an additional protocol to the Council of Europe's Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism in 2005 which is aimed at countering foreign fighters.

This country is very much in tune with the threat, and the committee, chaired by the Secretary General to the Government, engages regularly with its members. Gardaí regularly monitor the threat and take whatever operational measures they deem appropriate to deal with any indication that something is about to happen.

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