Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am surprised that a national security review has not been initiated already. This is a fundamental breach. We should not be waiting around on this issue. Airports across the globe are being targeted by terrorists and different operators. We cannot be complacent about it. The Taoiseach said in his reply that "the security of the airport itself is a matter for the airport authorities". He might clarify that for me because I think it needs to be looked at fundamentally in the context of national security and when it violates national policy. In Britain, MI5 and the intelligence networks are involved in protecting the integrity of the nation's security and borders. We do not know how long this went on. The Taoiseach has said that 15 million passengers are processed each year. The passengers in this case were not processed and never wanted to be processed. The whole objective of the exercise was to bypass being processed. Given the ease with which this seems to have happened, I think it is a wake-up call for our system. The Garda needs to be involved in this. The proper guardians of the State - the intelligence system within the State - need to take this over. There needs to be an overview of what is happening. There needs to be a rigorous review of security at our ports and airports. This wake-up call should be a catalyst for the Government to do that.

See this speech in context