Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 5 May 1992

Vol. 419 No. 1

Adjournment Debate. - Closure of Border Crossings.

Mr. Harte

I intended this matter to be the subject of a Private Notice Question but that was not possible. In the last four or five days I understand that the British authorities are now changing direction and appreciate the pressures which will be put on people on both sides of the Derry-Donegal Border exiting and entering Northern Ireland and the Republic.

I should explain to the House that there are three crossing points between Derry City and County Donegal, the Culmore Road leading to Muff, Moville, the Buncrana Road at Bridgend and the Letterkenny Road which serves the eastern part of the county. Two of those check-points are closed and all the traffic has to go through the Buncrana Road, which is already busy, putting pressure on that check-point at particular times of the day when people are going to and from work. It is a great inconvenience and totally unnecessary. They suggest that traffic should use the Lifford Road-Strabane crossing but that is not convenient for many people.

The explanation the British give is that they must close the check-points to carry out major developments. However, these developments are warlike creatures and a vote of no confidence in the security forces this side of the Border. They are viewed by local people as implying that the South is not serious about security and that there is a lack of co-operation between the security forces on both sides of the Border. I thought long and seriously about this and I came to the conclusion that what the British army are doing along the Border is nothing short of creating targets for the IRA to bomb. When the IRA use a bomb to destroy one of these intimidating monstrosities they will kill human beings. The people in London who have taken a decision to construct these monstrosities along our Border will be guilty if British soldiers lose their lives. The IRA are looking for challenges and in this case there is a challenge to put a bomb in a vehicle and blow these structures to bits. It is ludicrous and I know the Minister for Foreign Affairs agrees. Indeed, both communities along the Border agree it is ludicrous.

Now that these intimidating, warlike monstrosities have been constructed, soldiers on each side are checking lorries to ensure that they are not carrying a bomb which would blow the place to bits. If there is a bomb on board the soldiers will not stop the vehicle getting through. The authorities seem to be obsessed with protecting these monstrosities and ensuring that the IRA do not plant a bomb. However, they are losing sight of the fact that that is not where the trouble is in Northern Ireland. They are suggesting that all the trouble in Northern Ireland emanates from the Republic but anyone with the slightest intelligence knows that is not the case. No one can hold anyone south of the Border responsible for the murders being carried out in Belfast at present. It is a wrong reading of the situation for people in London to decide security matters in Northern Ireland.

I talk to the young policemen and soldiers as I pass through Northern Ireland and some of them are very forthcoming. One of them said to me that if the matter was not so serious it would be a major joke. Sheds were built to accommodate large vehicles or buses but now they are afraid to let them into the sheds in case one of them has a bomb on board and will blow the place to smithereens; it is absurd.

I do not know why this matter should be dealt with by a Minister for Foreign Affairs and I have said this many times before in speeches on Northern Ireland. It should be the responsibility of a Minister with another portfolio, perhaps a spokesman on Northern Ireland or something of that kind. I am not saying that the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Andrews, is not capable of handling it, I have the greatest respect for him and every confidence in him. I admire him but the portfolio of Minister for Foreign Affairs is not the right one to be dealing with something which concerns the people of Derry and Donegal, Tyrone and Fermanagh.

Somewhere, sanity must prevail and if the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Sir Patrick Mayhew, and his assistant, Mr. Mates, have any sense they will immediately start to dismantle these constructions because they merely create a target for people to be killed by the IRA.

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Andrews)

I am grateful to the Deputy for his remarks and I agree with him. Since I have come into the co-chairmanship of the Anglo-Irish Conference, one of my main inputs indicates the concerns expressed by Deputy Harte. I am grateful to him for raising this issue on the Adjournment and I assure him that I will continue to raise these concerns with the Secretary of State.

At the outset — I know that Deputy Harte will concur with me in this regard — I wish to utterly condemn the IRA attack on the British army check-point at Killeen on the Dublin-Belfast Road last Friday in which a British soldier lost his life. It is indeed a bitter illustration of the emptiness and futility of what the men of violence have to offer. Each atrocity——

Mr. Harte

It makes my point.

Mr. Andrews

It copperfastens the Deputy's point. Each atrocity the IRA perpetrate serves only to deepen still further the divisions we must overcome.

The Government are committed to removing as many barriers as possible between people North and South so that, in the spirit of the new Europe, there can be greater freedom of movement between communities on both sides of the Border. In particular, the Government are committed to minimising the disruption suffered by those living in Border communities, whether from closed cross-Border roads or delays associated with permanent checkpoints. In keeping with this emphasis on improved communications, the Government are also committed to the upgrading of the Dublin-Belfast railway line, as announced at the Anglo-Irish Conference on 27 April.

As Deputies will be aware, I visited last month a number of Border areas in Counties Leitrim and Monaghan. I intend to visit other border areas, including County Donegal, in the near future. I will certainly let Deputies in those constituencies know when I will visit that area. Arising from my recent visit I raised the question of the closure of cross-Border roads in all its aspects at the meeting of the Conference on 27 April. I emphasised the importance of keeping all closures under continuous review and of ensuring that the economic and social effects, as well as the security implications, are taken fully into account in all cases. Following an extended discussion, the Conference agreed that it would continue to review developments in this area.

On the question of permanent vehicle checkpoints, which is of particular concern to the Deputy, issues arising from the operation of such checkpoints have been raised on several occasions with the British authorities at meetings of the Intergovernmental Conference. The Government have urged that these measures be kept under continuous review and that the fullest consideration should be given to alternatives. Where the British authorities consider that they are unavoidable for security reasons, we have emphasised that every effort should be made to keep the inconvenience caused by these measures to the absolute minimum.

With regard to the question of whether permanent vehicle checkpoints are effective from a security point of view, I noted with interest an article in this week's Sunday Times by Brigadier Peter Morton, a former British army operations officer in Northern Ireland, which questioned the effectiveness of permanent checkpoints on the grounds that they and the personnel involved are sitting targets for attacks and, because they are so visible and easily avoided, they represent a poor use of manpower resources. Séamus Mallon, MP, voiced similar concerns and, indeed, these arguments were also put to me by several people during my recent visit to Clones and Kiltyclogher. I am aware that similar doubts as to the wisdom of these installations have been expressed by the people of Derry and Donegal.

I am keenly aware of the potential disruption to traffic which is likely to arise as a result of the construction work which is about to commence on the checkpoints outside Derry. I can assure Deputy Harte that I have every sympathy for the local communities who are inconvenienced by the operation of these checkpoints on a daily basis, and who may now be faced with greater than usual disruption over the coming weeks. The British authorities are aware of my concern that such disruption should always be taken into account in the security arrangements which are put in place, and should be such as to minimise the inconvenience caused to the local population. I understand that the work which is currently being carried out will, inter alia, make provision for new traffic arrangements at the checkpoints so as to improve traffic flow and reduce delays in the long term.

As the Deputy is aware, some initial media reports suggested that both check-points would be closed for the duration of the work. Needless to say, we immediately sought clarification of the position from the British authorities.

They confirmed that they are aware of the potential disruption that this work could impose on traffic, especially at bank holiday weekends, and for this reason they deferred starting work until today, 5 May, so as to avoid disruption over the Northern bank holiday weekend just gone by. I have been assured that the RUC will keep the public informed of any temporary diversions and will liaise with the Garda Síochána to ensure that drivers on both sides of the Border are kept aware of any re-routing while work proceeds. I understand also that extra police will be on duty at the checkpoints during the work to assist the flow of traffic.

The Northern authorities have also indicated that while from time to time the Letterkenny and Muff checkpoints will have to be closed, one will always remain open. In addition, the checkpoint on the Buncrana road at Coshquin will not be affected and will remain open to traffic at all times.

This would suggest that the disruption may not be as severe as many people first thought, but I fully appreciate that the closure of even one of the checkpoints for any period will inevitably cause some disruption. I will see to it that the situation is closely monitored over the coming weeks and I will continue to press the British authorities to make every effort to minimise the inconvenience to the local community.