Gabrielle McFadden (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister back to the House. As has been said, the Offences against the State Act was introduced in 1998 following the barbaric murder of 29 people by the IRA in the Omagh bombings. The legislation has continued until now, and the recent terrible death of Lyra McKee, which was again a murder committed by the IRA. My colleague spoke about the depleted number of members of An Garda Síochána. Twenty three members of An Garda Síochána were murdered by the IRA and terrorist organisations – although there may be more - but that is the only number we have for those murdered by the IRA and other terrorist organisations in recent times.It has no place in our country. That is why we need to do what we are doing here today.

As the Minister said, we would all love to live in a situation where we would not need this legislation but we do not live in that situation at the moment and we need to protect our citizens. I commend the Minister for coming back to the House and defending this, and I am delighted that others are supporting it. There is no place for gangland activity and no place, as far as I am concerned, for paramilitary activity in our country.