Vol. 567 No. 1
220 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason for his assertion that the State is responsible for malicious damage caused by individuals to aircraft parked at Irish airports, in view of previous parliamentary replies from the Minister for Transport and the Minister for Defence that no international convention exists to convey such a liability. [13436/03]
In the months since the attack against the US cargo plane at Shannon there has been some speculation about the matter of responsibility for the cost of repairs to the aircraft.
The question of responsibility for costs remains an open question. The matter is not the subject of formal discussion between the Irish and US authorities. If raised by the US side the Government will give the matter full consideration, including from the perspective of whether any insurance arrangements might be applicable.
At the time the attack occurred the Government condemned the attack as utterly irresponsible and noted that while protesters are entitled to their views violent acts in the name of pacifism are surely a contradiction in terms. This irony will be compounded should the cost of repairing the damage done eventually fall on the Irish taxpayer.
