Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Last Friday night in Paris ordinary people going about their lives, socialising, attending a concert and doing the things people do on Friday nights, were slaughtered in an act of cold­blooded inhumanity at its worst. It is clear today that the thoughts of all of us are with the people of France and I know the French ambassador here is well aware of the revulsion of the people of Ireland at what happened. I want to pay tribute to him for giving voice so eloquently to the feelings of the people of France here.

Yesterday I had the privilege to attend a meeting of members of police organisations from many countries and we indicated our deep solidarity with the French police. It is right that in this Chamber today we, as elected representatives in a democracy, should take the time to express our outrage at what happened and make clear our solidarity with the people of France and all of those who have suffered at the hands of terrorists. For what was under attack last Friday night was the freedoms we enjoy and democracy itself. The people who carried out the attacks despise those freedoms and hate the values we hold so dear. They want to impose on all of us a dark, tyrannical world. Because of the freedoms we enjoy, democratic societies cannot impose the type of measures that would be necessary to ensure such attacks can never take place. To attempt to do so would be handing a victory to those who seek to terrorise us. What is important is that we take all necessary, proportionate and reasonable steps to try to counter the activities of those who seek to terrorise us.

A difficult balance has to be drawn between the rights of individuals and the powers which a state takes upon itself to counteract terrorism. As I have said, we cannot take measures which fundamentally alter the nature of our societies in response to terrorist outrages. However, I ask people to bear one thing in mind: there is no more fundamental human right than the right to life and states are obliged to take all reasonable measures to vindicate that right. I want to be very clear about one thing. We will not hesitate to take any reasonable action necessary to keep the people of this country safe and to co-operate with our partners to keep all our peoples safe.

Given the bleak history of the troubles on this island, we already have a wide range of legislation in place to deal with terrorism. All the laws that applied to terrorist organisations based here apply to international terrorists too We have added to those laws to deal with specific features of international terrorism. For example, earlier this year the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) (Amendment) Act created new offences of public provocation to commit terrorist offences, recruitment for terrorism and training for terrorism. If more laws are needed at any stage, we will introduce them without delay. It is also the case that because of our history, An Garda Síochána has immense experience in dealing with terrorism. I accept fully that a new factor is the willingness of terrorists to die while carrying out attacks, but we have experience on this island of groups who were prepared to engage in the type of mass slaughter seen last Friday night and attempt to overthrow democracy.

Before looking at organisations that are based far away, we should remember that groups which perpetrated the bombing at Omagh are still involved in terrorism here. I fail to see the moral difference between the activities of dissident republican groups and those of international terrorists. They should stop and stop now. We cannot be complacent about the threat this country faces from the threat of international terrorism. The expert advice is that while an attack is possible here, it is unlikely. Nor is there any specific information that an attack is planned. However, we must remember that we share the values of those countries where attacks have taken place. We are part of a western civilisation whose values are repugnant to the zealots who engage in international terrorism.

I can assure the House that An Garda Síochána, supported where necessary by the Defence Forces, are taking all possible steps to deal with any threat to this country. Unfortunately, there are a small number of people here whose activities are a cause for concern in the support which they offer to international terrorists. They will continue to be monitored and where evidence is available they will face the full rigour of the law. Since the attacks on Friday, and indeed before, the Garda has been taking all necessary security measures. The House will understand that, of their nature, security measures should not be disclosed publicly.

Last Saturday, in the wake of the attacks, I visited Garda headquarters where I was briefed by the Garda Commissioner and some of her senior officers. I was impressed by how the Garda swung into action last Friday night, both in terms of dealing with any threat that might have arisen here and in the context of full co-operation with its international partners.

It was of particular use that An Garda Síochána already had in place a full-time liaison officer based in our embassy in Paris who attended all the appropriate security briefings in the aftermath of the events in Paris. The Garda Commissioner has assured me that priority has been, and is being, given to the training of specialist units which would be at the front line dealing with such attacks. This has included training both at home and abroad and jointly with the Defence Forces. In addition, specialist units here enjoy excellent working relationships with their counterpart units abroad.

While, in the short term, the Garda is taking whatever additional security measures are necessary, we have to recognise that the threat from international terrorism is an evolving one. As quite a number of Deputies have said, our response must also evolve. That is why, for example, the Garda Commissioner is carrying out a review at present and will be letting me know of any additional requirements that may arise. It is vital that all concerned keep their responses to a fluid and challenging situation under continuous and rigorous review and that is exactly what is happening. This is against the background of the elaborate infrastructure which we have in place for emergency planning.

It is, of course, important that the response by the Garda is not just an immediate security one. That is why I welcome the extensive efforts which gardaí make to build fruitful relationships with our new communities. We should not forget that communities from which people feel alienated can be a breeding ground for fanaticism. Clearly, as many have said, the gathering of intelligence and its exchange are most important in preventing such attacks. At the meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council, which I will be attending next Friday, this issue will have a particular prominence, as will issues such as passenger name records and securing external borders in respect of Schengen. The Garda already co-operates extensively with its international partners and Ireland, for its part, will support any necessary measures in this regard.

I want to assure the House too that all reasonable steps will be taken to ensure that migration into this country will not be used as a covert route by those who seek to do us harm. We should be very careful to remember not to attribute terrorism to race or religion. It is the fault of terrorists. The communities which they come from or the faiths which they espouse should not be blackened by their evil deeds. What happened in Paris on Friday night was a stark reminder of the dangers we face from international terrorism but it did not change the fact that a human catastrophe involving many migrants still needs to be addressed. While these are troubling and challenging times, I have no doubt that the strength of democracy and the power of freedom will prevail.

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