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

This is a key issue, heightened all the more by recent events in Paris, and was discussed at the meeting of the justice and home affairs Ministers. There will be further meetings this week. It was made clear that international co-operation is key to dealing with this issue. Exchange of intelligence information, identification of the travel routes of suspects, the use of Interpol and Europol databases and the Schengen information database are all very important responses.

Nationally, people also need to be aware that the Garda has a response unit, the emergency response unit, which is specifically trained and is the first line in counter-terrorism. I will say again that its members are specifically trained in counter-terrorism responses and hostage-type incidents. The armed regional support units, the special detective units and the drugs and organised crime units would also be involved in rapid response.

The Defence Forces can be called in as an aid to the Garda and civil authority. They have a range of expertise which they have been using during the years to deal with the type of terrorism seen on this island. As I said, they have much experience of dealing with explosive devices being placed in a variety of locations across the country.

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