Minister of State for Justice Frank Fahey (Fianna Fáil, Galway West) told the Dáil that Ireland was still at risk from terrorist threat.
Mr Fahey said that although the extent of the threat within the EU varied greatly from one member state to another, it would be naive to imagine that Ireland was completely immune to new forms of terrorism.
"The Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act, 2005, was enacted to deal with this international terrorist threat by enabling the application of the Offences Against the State Acts, including the 1998 Act, against international terrorist groups and individuals," he added.
"It might be worthwhile for deputies to bear in mind that other countries have enacted even tougher legislation in response to the international terrorist threat. In Britain, for example, 28-day detention is now permitted."
Mr Fahey said he would caution against any complacency in the Irish response. The Minister was introducing a motion seeking approval for the continuance in force of the sections of the Offences against the State (Amendment) Act, 1998, which would otherwise cease to be in operation on June 30th.
The Act, he said, was enacted after of the Omagh bomb attack of August 1998, which had claimed the lives of 29 people and injured more than 200 others.
Joe Higgins (Socialist Party, Dublin West) said that his party had opposed campaigns of paramilitary violence. However, it had always strenuously opposed the introduction of repressive legislation, whether by the British or Irish governments.
Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Sinn Féin, Dublin South Central) claimed the Minister of State saw imaginary threats to the security of the State when it suited his agenda to do so. Dan Boyle (Green Party, Cork South Central) said that a truly free society would not need legislation of that kind, and the fact that it had continued beyond its historical setting was more a matter of political expediency than public safety. The motion was passed.
