Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Wallace has said that the Dáil vote would not give him any comfort. What would not give me any comfort is sending our troops out on peacekeeping and peace enforcement missions without having been properly trained or without the experience they need. That is why it is important to participate in battlegroups and to engage with other like-minded member states. To give an example of where this has worked very effectively, we worked with the Finns in the Nordic battlegroup. We then went on to partner with them in Chad and Lebanon. We trained with another member state and another country, worked together and went on to serve on a peacekeeping mission. This is a very clear example of the benefit of working within an EU battlegroup.

We have a triple lock in place. There are no absolutes in this life. We have very clear checks and balances. If ever a battlegroup is to be deployed, the Dáil must vote first. We will have our say in this House as the democratically elected representatives of this country. That gives me great comfort because it is how our country is run and has always been run. To date, we have only ever participated in UN-mandated missions and the UN fully supports these battlegroups.

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