Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State. I fully support the proposals he has put before the House. It is regrettable and unfortunate that in the aftermath of the Good Friday Agreement this legislation still requires to be buttressed and kept in place to ensure the threats from extreme elements are held at bay. This legislation came into being in the aftermath of the Omagh bombings which was one of the most terrible atrocities ever committed in this country.

Despite the fact that the Good Friday Agreement was endorsed by probably 95% of the people of this country, North and South, we still have a threat of violence from extreme paramilitary groups. This is a reminder to us that the despicable murders in Northern Ireland of two soldiers, Mark Quinsey and Patrick Azimkar, in the Massereene Barracks and the murder of Constable Stephen Carroll in Craigavon and, as Senator Regan said, the threats against the houses of some Sinn Féin members shows there is an element - albeit a small element - who are ruthless and are involved in all sorts of drug cartels, cross-Border smuggling and criminal activities, even in this city of Dublin, and they must be kept at bay.

I welcome the continuation of these provisions. In the knowledge that these threats will not dissipate overnight, the annual renewal of the provisions of the Act should be extended to a three to five-year renewal period. I cannot envisage that this threat will vanish overnight. There is no doubt those groups, such as the Real IRA, the Continuity IRA and the INLA, which have not given up their arms and which have not complied with the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement have no moral approbation whatsoever, either north or south of the Border, for continuing such violent acts. In that regard we must use all our might and main to ensure they do not get their wicked way. It is unfortunate the Garda Síochána must put such resources and effort into ensuring an atrocity such as Omagh will never occur again either north or south of the Border. There is a continuing threat. From a legal and jurisprudence perspective the measures appear to be severe and draconian, but they are necessary. I concur with the continuation of the sections. In the aftermath of the Good Friday Agreement we hoped that many measures, introduced during what was almost a civil war, could be put aside. We dreamed of a Utopia and hoped a hiatus might occur in the aftermath of the Good Friday Agreement. The Agreement has, by and large, stood firm. It has been implemented by the British Government, acknowledged in Northern Ireland and implemented here in the South. The Good Friday Agreement has been a huge success. It took many decades of effort by many Governments and by people north and south of the Border and in Britain to put it in place. It is a great success story.

We must do whatever needs to be done, including the measures proposed today by the Minister of State. We must be vigilant in ensuring no other acts of violence occur or that those which do occur are dealt with efficiently and effectively.