Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 March 2014
831. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Defence the number of suspect devices that the Army disposal unit dealt with in 2013; the number to date in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12948/14]
View answerPrimary responsibility for the maintenance of law and order rests with An Garda Síochána. The Defence Forces, pursuant to their role of rendering Aid to the Civil Power (ATCP), assist An Garda Síochána when requested to do so. The Defence Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Teams respond when a request is made by An Garda Síochána for assistance. All EOD callouts are treated as suspect devices until post operation analysis. EOD teams were deployed on 250 occasions during 2013 and viable devices accounted for 81 of these callouts. Up to 18 March 2014, EOD teams were deployed on 28 occasions and viable devices accounted for 11 of these callouts. Other types of callouts would include hoaxes, false alarms, post-blast analysis, and the removal of unstable chemicals in laboratories.
