Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 108: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his views on whether the threat from paramilitary groups has eased; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13655/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I know the House will share my condemnation of all paramilitary groups and their activities. These gangs of criminal terrorists have no support in the wider community, North and South, for either their criminal activities or their use of violence to achieve their aims.

Since early 2009 the threat level in Northern Ireland from these groups has been classified as severe. This is the shared view of both Governments based on the assessment of An Garda Síochána and the PSNI. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Owen Paterson MP, also confirmed this recently to the UK Parliament. The threat faced on this island from these subversives is a shared one and I can assure the House that the Gardaí continue to cooperate closely with the Police Service of Northern Ireland in actively pursuing them.

These groups have particularly targeted the security forces in Northern Ireland, as the murders of PSNI Constables, Ronan Kerr and Stephen Carroll, and the murder of two British soldiers, Patrick Azimkar and Mark Quinsey, at Massarene Barracks attest. The House will be aware that there have also been a number of other attempted murders and bomb attacks, and that these deplorable activities continue.

Operational police co-operation is the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner and the Chief Constable of the PSNI and their respective forces. Both police chiefs have repeatedly emphasised the close nature and the high quality of the ongoing co-operation between their forces. This seamless co-operation has been instrumental in disrupting the paramilitaries, preventing attacks, combating criminality and saving lives.

Combating the subversive threat has always been an absolute priority for the Garda authorities and it remains so. I can assure the Deputy, and the House, that the Government is committed to maintaining the current high level of co-operation between the Gardaí and the PSNI.

I meet regularly with the Northern Ireland Justice Minister, David Ford, and with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Owen Paterson, and there is also a close and ongoing working relationship between our officials. We will continue, in co-operation with the authorities in Northern Ireland and Great Britain, to spare no effort to ensure that those criminal terrorists who seek to subvert the democratic will of the people will face the full rigours of the law.