Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach inniú.

As the Minister of State pointed out, the recent developments in counties Louth and Derry serve as chilling reminders that there are people who remain bent on reversing all that has been achieved in recent years. The fact that, thankfully, there has not been any atrocity on the scale of that which occurred in Omagh almost five years ago, is cause for relief but not complacency. Since the Omagh bombing, there have been several foiled plots by dissidents to cause carnage on a similar or even greater scale. These plots have been foiled thanks to the unstinting dedication and tenacity of the Garda Síochána and others.

It is also important to note the repeated success of the Garda Síochána in securing prosecutions against members of dissident republican organisations, with the result that many of their most senior figures are currently serving prison sentences. This has undoubtedly been a major factor in preventing the commissioning and execution of further outrages.