As reported by The Irish Times on Saturday, 6th December; "Foreign law enforcement agencies will be allowed to tap Irish phone calls and intercept emails under a statutory instrument signed into law by Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald."

Colm adds,

The "statutory instrument" also allows telecoms companies to be sued in secret court sessions if they refuse to comply with requests for assistance from intelligence agencies, and to be barred from revealing that such proceedings took place.

This legislation was enacted the day after documents leaked by Edward Snowden revealing the undersea cables between Ireland and the UK were routinely tapped by GCHQ, were reported in German media.