Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I need to repeat again that I am not the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Deputy should address the policy questions on the use of Shannon Airport to him. The job of the Minister for Defence, the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces is to assist An Garda Síochána when it asks for help. That is what we do in respect of Shannon. It is unfortunate that there is deemed to be a security risk for planes that land in, and take off from, Shannon but when An Garda Síochána requests assistance, it gets it. The broader foreign policy questions the Deputy seems to be raising need to be addressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.

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