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

I thank Deputy Calleary for raising the matter. I am glad he has done so because it gives me an opportunity to express support and sympathy for the Lunney family and Mr. Lunney in particular. This was a shocking incident and many people today are talking about it, as they were yesterday. A completely innocent person coming home from work had his car rammed before being brutally pulled from the vehicle by a gang of masked men and taken across the Border and beaten in a way that will potentially leave life-changing injuries, both mental and physical. He was left in a ditch. It is shocking and the response needs to be very robust from both the PSNI and An Garda Síochána, and it will be. We cannot allow this kind of brutal intimidation, which is a reminder of the kind of gangland paramilitary-style punishment beatings of the past. I do not say that lightly. These are a way of intimidating people for whatever reason who are working in the series of companies that Mr. Lunney works with.

I hope Deputies will appreciate I am somewhat limited in what I can say about this awful incident, given it is now subject to a significant investigation by both the PSNI and An Garda Síochána. However, I join the Garda Commissioner and the Minister for Justice and Equality in condemning in the strongest possible terms the attack that took place. This was an act of cowards in many ways who have no regard for the rule of law on either side of the Border. I understand both the PSNI and An Garda Síochána are conducting a major inquiry into the incident and are determined to find those responsible and bring them to justice.

Let me be clear that no stone will be left unturned by An Garda Síochána or the PSNI and both police services will relentlessly pursue these individuals. I wish them well in their inquiries and encourage anybody with information on this matter to come forward to the Garda or the PSNI as quickly as possible. I understand the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, has requested that the Garda Commissioner keep him personally updated on progress in this investigation. I have had responsibility for relationships with Northern Ireland for the past two years and I can confidently say the relationship between the PSNI and An Garda Síochána is probably stronger now than it has ever been. This is a case on which they will work very closely to try to get to the bottom of it as quickly as possible.

With respect to broader Garda resources, Garda strength in the northern region now stands at approximately 1,500, which is an increase of 150 since the end of 2017. It is also worth mentioning that there will be an armed support unit in Cavan, and armed support units have now been established by the Garda Commissioner in all regions to provide an armed response capacity on a regional basis to support and supplement the national emergency response team. There continues to be a Garda focus in the Border counties and this incident is a reminder of why that is necessary.

See this speech in context