Eugene Regan (Fine Gael)

The Minister of State has made the case for the resolution to extend the provisions of the Offences against the State (Amendment) Act. The Government has at times downplayed the threat of terrorist activities. The most notable example was the case of Paul Quinn, when the former Taoiseach stated, as did Sinn Féin, that this was a criminal matter and that the unfortunate Mr. Quinn was involved in certain acts of criminality. He entirely downplayed the involvement of a terrorist organisation in the killing of this man. However, the reports of the Garda and the PSNI clearly show the involvement of members or former members of the Provisional IRA in that atrocity. It took some time for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to confirm the continued existence and structures of the IRA in operation.

The Minister will probably find more support on this side of the Seanad than on the Government side for this resolution. Senator Walsh appeared to downplay the importance of this legislation this morning and suggested that we should be discussing other matters that occurred some years ago. The Minister of State has my full support on this matter. He has effectively laid out the case and the facts speak for themselves. Let us consider a few examples.

There was an incident in Bray in October 2002 and recently there was an appeal against convictions in that case. The court heard at that time that the gardaí had recovered a large quantity of Sinn Féin posters, including posters for the Sinn Féin Deputy, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, from a car in which they also found a stun gun, a CS gas cannister, a blue flashing light and a beacon. They also found two pickaxe handles, a lump hammer, three portable radios, cable ties, balaclavas and a fake Garda jacket in the car. Two of the men were dressed in fake Garda uniforms.

The European police agency, Europol, report on the terrorist situation and trends in the EU in 2008 clearly shows there is a significant increase in activity by the Irish National Liberation Army. Garda sources have indicated that this organisation has become embroiled in a number of violent disputes with criminal gangs in a battle over the control of drug dealing. It is suspected of selling pipe bombs and military grenades to criminal gangs. The report also adds that based on capability and intent, the threat from the Continuity IRA and the Real IRA is estimated to vary between moderate and substantial.

There have been a number of incidents. There was the recent incident where an off-duty police officer was injured by a booby trap car bomb in County Tyrone. The PSNI Chief Constable has warned that dissident republicans remain a significant threat. The Continuity IRA carried out a landmine attack near Roslea, County Fermanagh. In February this year a Strabane man, Andrew Burns, was murdered and his body was found with gunshot wounds near a church in Doneyloop, County Donegal. There was an alleged Real IRA plot to buy arms in eastern Europe. The Real IRA shot an off-duty Catholic PSNI officer in his car on Bishop Street in Londonderry in November 2007. There were other incidents.

The case is made. The continuing structures of the Provisional IRA and these other terrorist organisations, North and South, are still active. It is self-evident that the legislation needs to be continued. I hope Senator Walsh will agree with me on that.