A man has been arrested after the home of Minister for Justice Alan Shatter was broken into last night.
The incident took place in the Dundrum area of south Dublin at about 11.30pm.
There was nobody in the house at the time.
It is understood an alarm in the house was activated and a suspected burglar fled on foot.
A man was detained near the Minister’s home at about midnight and taken to Blackrock Garda station. He is being held under section four of the Criminal Justice Act and can be questioned over the next 24 hours.
It is believed nothing was stolen in the break-in which took place as Mr Shatter represents the Government at St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Australia.
The Minister, who has been notified of the break-in, is expected to meet gardaí on his return later this week to assess damage and whether anything has been stolen.
A spokeswoman for the Minister confirmed he had been informed of the incident.
Mr Shatter, who met both the prime minister of Australia Julia Gillard and the prime minister of New Zealand John Key during his trip, is due to leave Australia on Friday. He spent time in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Auckland attending business, tourism and political functions.
It is understood a Garda officer is no longer stationed outside the home of the Minister for Justice and other senior Cabinet members involved in dealing with sensitive security information.
It was common practice for officers to be on duty at the homes of the taoiseach and some ministers during the Troubles.
PA