Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Like the Tánaiste, I too would like to begin by expressing sadness and empathy on my behalf and that of the Labour Party for the people of the Russian city Kemerovo on the appalling tragedy they have endured in recent days.

The attack in Salisbury on 4 March with a rare chemical weapon is a shocking and worrying development in international affairs. The nature of the attack is deeply disturbing for the UK and all countries that abide by international rules and norms. Given that this was the first use of a chemical weapon in Europe since the Second World War and due to the security sensitives of the investigation and the reality of the world of espionage, it also means that we do not have clear sight of the evidence or all the facts.

Some three weeks on we do not know how the attack was carried out or the exact nature of the chemical used. That information may never be publicly confirmed. The British Government has said it believes there is no plausible alternative or explanation for the attack other than that it was perpetrated by the Russian Federation. In other words, it is highly likely that Russia did it.

While it has been postulated that the agent used was from the Novichok family of chemical weapons, that has not been confirmed. From what we know, that family of nerve agents was developed in the secrecy of the Soviet Union in the 1970s. It is described as one of the deadliest nerve agents ever made and extremely potent. That such an agent was used in an English town to target a former double agent is a new departure. This was an extra-territorial assassination carried out by chemical weapon.

The facts to date are that former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were targeted with this powerful nerve agent. They are currently in an induced coma and it is unclear if they will ever recover. A detective sergeant who was first on the scene was also hospitalised and, thankfully, has since been discharged. A total of 51 people were hospitalised or treated after the incident and the British Prime Minister said a total of 131 people were exposed to potential harm. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is now carrying out an investigation and tests into the type of agent used. It will take two to three weeks to complete the laboratory analysis, but that will not determine who was responsible or the circumstances surrounding this attack.

After extensive briefings and discussions by leaders at the EU Council last week, the 28 member states unanimously agreed to support the UK position. Following that meeting, the EU sent a strong and clear message when we withdrew the EU ambassador to Russia for a period of four weeks. That was a robust response to a totally unacceptable attack on an EU member state.

7 o’clock

Within the Opposition, I was alone on Friday in supporting the Government's stance in Brussels to stand in solidarity with the UK. It is not credible that on this issue Ireland would stand alone of the 28 EU members, including Sweden, which is neutral and Greece and Cyprus, which have close friendships and economic ties with Russia. The EU has now withdrawn its diplomatic representative and Russia knows where the EU as a collective stands on this matter. We should be slow to contemplate additional activity that would escalate the matter further unless our own circumstances warrant it. I regard with scepticism the efforts of the Taoiseach's spinners late last week to overemphasise his role on the issue at the EU Council meeting.

There appears to be a clear effort to align Ireland with the western alliance in what it must be acknowledged is a new departure for Irish foreign policy. Referring to this attack as taking place on EU soil presents a federal view of our Union that is not real. The EU is also not a mutual defence pact like NATO. For this reason, I think the action taken today by the Government is problematic. It is an unprecedented step for Ireland to move to expel foreign diplomats for actions that occurred in another country when a proportionate response has been already taken at EU level. This a risky move for Ireland as a country as we have traditionally been non-aligned.

An analysis of what has happened since last Friday would lead one to believe that the Government made its decision to expel diplomats on Friday after the EU Council and it used the weekend to collate the necessary information and intelligence. The decision of the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to recommend the expulsion of a Russian diplomat today was taken without any consultation or pre-brief with the Opposition, save, potentially, with Fianna Fáil. I have made it clear that I believe Ireland should not expel foreign diplomats, save for activities that occur on Irish soil or that impact directly on Irish citizens or our security. Ambassadors and diplomats are usually expelled for two reasons: to signal displeasure with the sending country's policies or to signal displeasure with the particular person. An assessment was carried out by the security services and relevant Departments in the past 72 hours. This has been used to justify the expulsion of an unnamed Russian diplomat. This decision should not have been rushed or taken lightly. Owing to the nature of the assessment, the evidence has not been provided to the Opposition. However, we do know that the decision was taken exclusively as an act of solidarity with the UK and so it is not clear why the security assessment was required. The expulsion is not, as I understand, as a result of Russian activities in Ireland. There was no mention of this up to the time of the appalling events of Salisbury.

There has been significant media commentary in Ireland in recent weeks about Russian activities in Ireland, an issue about which I have already voiced my concerns and on which I have posed questions to the Tánaiste, including possible espionage and surveillance of technology companies in Ireland; the plans of the Russian Federation to build a large extension to its embassy and to bring in builders from Russia to carry out the work; and the threat from cyber-attacks, whether from Russia or elsewhere. As a country, we do not have a well-developed security apparatus. I have made known my views on this over some considerable time. I regard the policing review that is currently under way as an opportunity to separate normal policing in Ireland from security analysis. I hope that will be done. Our capacity to do proper security assessments is limited. We over-depend on the assessments provided to us by foreign agencies. Regardless of perception of our closeness with any country, a foreign security agency will act in the interests of its country, first, last and in between and information that we get will be conditioned by that imperative. The greatest risk from espionage now is online, with sophisticated digital tools and cyber-attacks. Ireland must be prepared for this. We must be prepared for attacks on our infrastructure and the use of this country for attacks on others.

Withdrawing and expelling diplomats is a serious matter. It is often the first step towards further escalation. I would counsel further consideration of this matter. It is likely that Russia will now expel an Irish diplomat. As promised, the Government must now carry out a full security assessment and lay out in the clearest terms possible what that assessment unveils so that as a collective we can make decisions that are in the interests of our security and our people.

See this speech in context