Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-25 ============================================================ Garret Kelleher (FG), Industrial and Commercial Panel Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Ardagh, chuig an Seanad chun páirt a ghlacadh i ndíospóireacht an lae inniu. Is riachtanach iad na hAchtanna um Chionta in aghaidh an Stáit a chosnaíonn an Stát ar bhagairtí sceimhlitheoireachta ó ghrúpaí paraimíleata, eagraíochtaí, agus daoine aonair le beagnach 90 bliain anuas. Ós rud é go bhfuil bagairtí sceimhlitheoireachta fós ann, ciallaionn sé go bhfuil forálacha na ngníomhartha a chosnaíonn an Stát agus ár ndaoine gach pioc chomh tábhachtach inniu is a bhí siad nuair a tugadh isteach ar dtús iad. Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an ráiteas tosaigh ón Aire Stáit, an Teachta Ardagh, a leagann béim ar thábhacht leanúnach na bhforálacha sin. The Offences Against the State Acts have been crucial pieces of legislation protecting the State against threats of terrorism from paramilitary groups and other organisations and individuals for almost 90 years. The fact that terrorist threats continue to exist today means that the provisions of the Acts, which protect our State and our people, remain every bit as relevant today as they were when initially introduced. I welcome the detailed opening statement by the Minister of State, Deputy Ardagh, which emphasises the continued importance of these provisions. Almost 30 years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, it is considered that there remains a real and persistent threat from terrorist activity, as articulated by Senator Gallagher in his comments. This is in line with recent independent reviews carried out in 2023 and 2025, the latter of which stated that coercive control and threats linked to paramilitary groups "persist and remain a real concern". We will forever be indebted to those who worked so hard and courageously to bring the violent and bitter conflict in the North to an end, and to bring the people of violence to the negotiating table and the path to peace. However, we cannot take peace for granted. We must look to build a better, brighter and more inclusive future for all, regardless of what flag we fly or what anthem we sing. In doing so, we cannot take the peace that has been achieved for granted. We must protect it and do everything in our power to counteract the threats that continue to exist. This is exactly what we are doing by reviewing and renewing the provisions of the Offences against the State Act, sending a message to paramilitary groups that they have no place in our democracy or in the brighter future we are looking to build for our children and generations to come. As the Minister of State, Deputy Ardagh, has outlined, we also need to be vigilant and wary of modern threats of violence, extremism and terrorism at an international level. We must continue to co-operate and work with our EU and international partners to counter the possibilities of chemical, biological, nuclear or cyberattacks and threats to our energy security. In this regard, I welcome the Minister of State’s comments on evolving international terrorism threats and extremism. On behalf of the Fine Gael group, I am very happy to support the motions. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-25/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:07+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-06-25