Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Like him, I extend the sympathy of everybody in this House to the Marron family. Two children and a wife have been left without a father today because of an outrageous and tragic set of circumstances that could not have been anticipated for the family concerned. We are thinking of them today and they are very much in our thoughts and prayers.

I also want to recognise the courage and bravery of Garda Devlin, who is in a critical condition as a result of trying to do his duty. We hope that he will make a full and speedy recovery.

The issue of course is concerning. The Minister has asked for a full report on what happened. There will also be a full Garda investigation. It is important that we are careful about what we say in order that we do not in any way undermine the detail of that investigation.

On some of the Deputy's more general questions, there is probably better co-operation between An Garda Síochána and the PSNI now than ever before on cross-Border crime to ensure they are responding appropriately to people moving on both sides of the Border. We need to wait to get a full detailed report on what happened here and to allow the Garda and, if necessary, the PSNI to do their job in carrying out a full and detailed investigation and, presumably, a prosecution.

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