Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, to the House. The Bill is certainly welcome. I cannot see how anyone would have any objection to it.

I had a friend in the supermarket business in Holland some years ago who was kidnapped and I was impressed at the speed at which the local police were able to move across borders to see if they could identify the criminal. Unfortunately, they were not able to move quickly enough because he was murdered that same day. The reason I mention this is that it is the speed at which they were able to cross borders, and, therefore, the need for Europol and all of the technology that it can provide, that is essential to us. If nothing else, it seems the aim is to be a deterrent so that those criminals who are thinking of acting in a manner not in the public interest are deterred from doing so because of the speed at which the police forces of the various countries can move and also they way that they can co-operate. There needs to be as much technology as possible if we are to succeed with that. I think of young Ms Madeleine McCann who was kidnapped and disappeared. While she was close enough to other borders - it was in Portugal but close to Spain - the kidnappers could cross borders quickly. If we are to compete with the criminals we must have the same ability to compete as they have.

There was mention of cigarette smuggling. We were visited last week by the retailers who are concerned about it, the scale of which is significant. Senator Bradford mentioned that only a fraction of the amount of cigarettes that come into the country are detected. The issue is not only cigarette smuggling, but counterfeit cigarettes. We can use technology but I do not think the authorities are doing so. I understand that when a container comes into an Irish port, there are only two scanners capable of identifying illegal goods and I am told only one of those is able to work at a time. If this is to work, we must use international co-operation, the best technology, aim at ensuring we have the capability to act speedily and, most importantly, act as a deterrent.

This is a worthy step forward. I understand that it will make us more alert and more capable of being able to compete, and we need to do this if we are to protect ourselves in the future. I support the Bill. I think we all support it and hope it is passed immediately.