Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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221. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality regarding the murders in Tunisia on 26 June 2015 by terrorists to set out her views regarding the increased violence from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria; if the European Union is prepared to tackle this in a co-ordinated way; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27063/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The attack on holiday makers at Sousse in Tunisia was a shocking event and our thoughts are with the families of the three Irish people whose lives were taken in such a senseless fashion. There were 35 other deaths in the same attack, many of them holidaymakers from Britain, and our sympathy goes to the families and friends of all the victims.

The attack in Tunisia was another reminder to us of the real and persistent danger that is faced from terrorism and the fact that all states must remain vigilant and work together to counter the threat. Ireland, like any other democratic state with similar values, is not immune to this threat and the Garda authorities keep the level of threat from international terrorism under continuous review in light of ongoing developments and they will continue to take all appropriate measures to counteract it. In this they have the full support of the Government.

As the Deputy will know, the threat from international terrorism is a strong, shared concern for the European Union and actions to counter this threat are at the top of the agenda for the Council of Justice and Home Affairs Ministers. A wide range of strong actions is being pursued at EU level on an ongoing basis to support the actions of the Member States in combating terrorism. This co-operation has, naturally, been intensified given the ongoing concerns about the conflict in Syria and Iraq, the rise of ISIL and its utterly barbaric disregard for humanity and attacks in Europe and on Europeans, such as that in Tunisia.

I addressed these issues most recently with my EU counterparts at last month's JHA Council meeting which adopted conclusions on a renewed Internal Security Strategy for the EU, including a range of focused actions that are set out in the European Agenda on Security. These actions include improved information sharing between law enforcement services; stronger co-operation with third countries, particularly those in North Africa and the Middle East affected by conflict; countering radicalisation, particularly through the European Radicalisation Awareness Network of experts and through interaction with the IT/internet industry; enhancing Europol’s role in supporting the Member States, including through actions to tackle foreign terrorist fighters and violent, extremist content online; enhancing partnership with the IT/internet industry through an EU level forum with major IT and internet companies aimed at countering terrorist use of the internet; updating the EU legal framework as needed to address the foreign terrorist fighter phenomenon; strengthening the legal framework on firearms and improving co-operation with third countries in this regard; and taking further action against cybercrime.

I will continue to engage actively with the other EU Justice and Interior Ministers on these important issues once again this week at our meeting in Luxembourg. What is essential is that we take a resolute and robust stance in defence of fundamental rights and our democratic way of life and we can best do that by continuing to work closely together.