The Justice Minister has moved a step closer to giving himself the power to order mobile phone operators to shut down parts of their network and even the entire network to deal with a terror threat. Alan Shatter is rushing the measures through the Oireachtas ahead of next months G8 summit in Northern Ireland where the world's most powerful leaders will gather.
It had been thought the measures would involve a radius around the event in Co. Fermanagh possibly being deprived of a mobile phone service.
Recent bomb attacks - including the one at the Boston marathon - involved mobile phones being used to trigger explosive devices. Mr. Shatter admitted to the Dáil this afternoon that while unlikely to ever be needed, the power for a countrywide shutdown needed to be put in place.
The measures are not finding favour with everyone including the United Left Alliance TD Richard Boyd Barrett.
The Dun-Laoghaire TD says he is concerned that Minister Shatter could use the powers to target small-scale protests that the Government may not like. And he believes that there should be further scrutiny of the powers and they should not be rushed through.
