Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Fine Gael supports the motion, as it always has since 1998. As the Minister of State said, the amending legislation was introduced in September of that year in the aftermath of the horrific Omagh bombing, the worst single incident in more than 30 years of violence. It was a particular shock, coming within months of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement and its subsequent endorsement by referenda by the overwhelming majority of the people of the country.

If the Garda authorities believe they need this legislation to assist them in their battle against terrorism, Fine Gael will certainly support that view, as it has always done. There is no doubt terrorism still exists. We have seen the wave of crime in recent months in which paramilitaries are turning to criminal activities, an area we have tried to tackle in other legislation in the past year or so. There is no doubt that gardaí must be given every possible legislative assistance to fight terrorism and curb paramilitary atrocities on all sides. We believe it is necessary with regard to this legislation. We will probably need it for another couple of years, but hopefully not indefinitely. The vast majority of people on this island understand there can be no return to the previous state of affairs. The will of the people will ultimately prevail in terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

My party fully supports the motion, as we have done through the years. It is interesting that the Hederman report is in full agreement with most of the sections that have been mentioned. In that context, we will fully support the motion.