Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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22. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 3 of 15 January 2015, if he will provide information on his correspondence with the UK authorities regarding reported tapping of the underground cable between Ireland and Britain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2658/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Further to the statements in both Houses of the Oireachtas in recent months by my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality, I can confirm that my Department has been in contact with the British Embassy on the subject of these reports. The messages that were conveyed to the British Embassy were along the lines contained in a letter from my Department’s Secretary General to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade on 9 December.

It was pointed out in this letter that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade works to ensure the best possible bilateral relations between Ireland and other countries, including our nearest neighbours in Great Britain.

It was also pointed out that it is generally understood that friendly relationships between States, including between Ireland and Britain, include acceptance of the principle that the privacy of communications must be respected. This is a principle Ireland has consistently outlined in international fora and in policy statements.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been in close contact on this issue with the other Departments concerned, namely the Department of Justice and Equality and the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, which lead respectively on the justice/home affairs and communications (including cyber security) aspects of any issues arising from these reports.