Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My point is that a table-top exercise is not sufficient. That is fine in the planning stages in terms of working together as a co-ordinated group but one needs to put that into practice. It is my understanding that a significant contributing factor that has prevented live exercises taking place is that there is a divergence in terms of the standard operating procedures, SOPs, and tactics, techniques and procedures, TTPs. Both entities operate under separate SOPs and TTPs. Should a complex terror attack occur, An Garda Síochána is first in line to respond. If military personnel have to assist, then command and control is key in the context of who is in charge and how it works. The only way one can iron out the bugs, for want of a better phrase, is by live practice, so one entity gets to know how the other operates and both get to know how to work together. That has not been done. It is good practice, even if the threat is considered low, to know how to work with the other group in the event that it is required. I urge the Minister of State to look seriously at the issue. He should speak to the officials in the Department and to Defence Forces management. He should also speak to his counterpart in the Department of Justice and Equality who is responsible for An Garda Síochána because it is important that such an approach is taken. It is quite bizarre that a live practice has never been carried out, not to mention on a monthly basis.

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