For the benefit of the Parliamentary Secretary who may not have been here this afternoon when I raised this matter, the question concerns the general position relating to the regulations which permit customs officers to issue gun licences to any person entering the country who is able to produce any simple means of identification.
The situation is that any person coming in here, whether he arrives at an airport, a seaport or a land frontier, must be issued with a gun licence on request so long as he produces any means of identification, be that identification correct or otherwise because under the regulations laid down by the Department of Justice a customs officer is bound to issue such a licence in such circumstances. In effect, this means that any member of any illegal organisation in Northern Ireland, be it UVF, UDA or Provisional IRA who wishes to carry guns on this side of the Border can do so.
We have been hearing statements from the Government concerning gun clubs in the North of Ireland. Indeed, all parties in this House abhor the thought of the number of licensed guns in that part of the country. Despite that the Government here permitted a situation to develop whereby any gunman who wishes to come across the Border with a gun can be issued with a licence. I appreciated the reason for introducing such a regulation a few years ago. Its purpose was to encourage gun clubs on this side of the Border and to encourage people from the North of Ireland, from Britain and from western Europe to come here for game shooting. However, the situation now does not lend itself to this practice and the relevant regulations should not be continued by the Department.
If a citizen of this country applies for a gun licence he must present himself to the local gardaí. If the licence is required in respect of a shotgun the local superintendent will O.K. the application if the person is considered suitable to hold a licence. A person of less than 21 years of age must have a letter of consent from his parents before being considered for a licence and if a licence is required for a .22 rifle, the chief superintendent of the district examines the application. However, any person who has reached the age of 21, whether fit or unfit to hold a licence, can obtain one by presenting himself at the Customs and requesting it. This is a bad and a weak law which must be changed.
Recently in Donegal a car was stopped by gardaí. None of the five people in the car was known to be a member of a gun club but there were five guns in the car each of which was licensed. One of the group proudly displayed his arm band on which appeared the letters UVF but we are left to guess whether he was a member of that organisation or whether he had some other reason for his action. I have it from very good authority that this incident took place. Law and order must be preserved and a bad law must be exposed. It is not good enough for the Department of Justice to continue to tolerate such a law. The sooner it is changed the better. I call on the Minister for Justice to revoke the present law and the sooner he revokes it the sooner he will have my support on other matters.
I am not a person who has tried to use the northern situation for any political gain. The situation is much too delicate for that. I speak now in the calmness of the evening and I appeal to the Parliamentary Secretary to ask the Minister for Justice to accept that the law is wrong. I should not have to come here and assert this. All that should be necessary to have the regulations changed is a simple telephone message to the Department.
I have no wish to say anything that would worsen the present situation but I would point out that there are people holding gun licences at the moment which have been issued by Customs officers. These people will appear before the district court for offences arising out of the Game Preservation Act. These are not fit people to hold gun licences for the purpose for which they were granted. Of the five people who were in the car I have referred to, two are known to be convicted criminals in the North of Ireland but, I emphasise, they were not convicted for political offences.
The present regulations are a complete contradiction of the Government's concern in respect of gun clubs in the North. In the interests of the preservation of law and order these regulations should be changed so that this foolish system might be discontinued.
