Vol. 451 No. 5
29 Mr. O'Donoghue asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the results, if any, of the matter raised by his Department with the Anglo-Irish Secretariat regarding the incursion by RUC and British Army personnel into the Ravensdale area of County Louth, on 1 March 1995; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5852/95]
63 Mr. O'Donoghue asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if it is the Government's policy to condemn incursions along the Border such as the recent incident where an incursion by members of the British security forces occurred in the Ravensdale area County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5822/95]
I propose to take Quesions Nos. 29 and 63 together.
The incident referred to by the Deputy involved an unauthorised crossing into this jurisdiction by an RUC vehicle and a British helicopter. The circumstances were described in detail by the Minister of State, Deputy Gay Mitchell, when replying to an Adjourment Debate on this issue on 2 March last. Following that incident, the matter was raised through the Anglo-Irish Secretariat and an explanation sought. The British authorities responded that the crossings were unauthorised and expressed regret for what had occurred.
The British authorities are well aware of our view that unauthorised crossings are unacceptable and have indicated that such incidents are contrary to the instructions issued to the security forces.
Will the Minister accept that this was not the usual type of Border incursion that happens day in, day out; it was at least three to four miles into the Republic, the helicopter had to fly over a broad wooded area and the RUC vehicle had to travel a circuitous route to get to the area at which it was apprehended? It was only when local people informed the RUC they were in the Republic that they left. Will the Minister accept there was no question of the usual excuse that it was a map reading error? Will he confirm it is the Government's view that this type of incident should not happen?
The British side confirmed this was an unauthorised crossing and expressed regret in that regard. To the best of my knowledge the Government position has not changed from that of the previous Government and the Government before that. The Deputy mentioned three to four miles of an incursion, but I understand the RUC vehicle had travelled two miles inside our jurisdiction, although geographically it was about half a kilometre from the Border. The British accepted that these crossings should not occur and has taken steps to avoid a recurrence. We must ensure that the steps we take to prevent incidents of this kind, even if isolated, are adequate in the circumstances.
In view of the fact that we have had peace for the past six or seven months, will the Minister agree there is no necessity for a great concentration of British Army and security personnel along the Border and into the Republic?
I agree with the Deputy. As he is aware, the Army presence on the ground in Northern Ireland has been greatly reduced in recent weeks. The Army base at Kilturk has been closed and I hope others will follow as the peace process develops.
Not in the Border areas.
