John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

While I accept this, I again state that in cases of two countries being in conflict or at war other countries have clearly stated, without writing a script on it, they will not participate in the conflict but will stay neutral. If two families in my housing estate were at war or in conflict with one another and members of one of the families came into my house, which was in the middle, and told me they were going over to attack the other family, and asked for a cup of tea and whether I would mind if they stayed for a couple of minutes - although they were carrying weapons - and then went to attack the house, I would not be neutral.

How can we be defined as neutral if we allow a flight with personal weapons? The Chairman is correct that it would mean hundreds of thousands of personal weapons have gone through, and there is an inevitability that some have been used in conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan. Essentially we are not neutral, in my opinion, and based on a broad definition many people would say the same, if we allow flights carrying weapons to stop on their way to a conflict and to attack another country.

I do not agree with al-Qaeda, but we do not allow it to fly a plane into Ireland, tell us it has nothing on it, and then fly on to the United States. However, we allow the United States to attack who they perceive to be their enemies. Essentially we are not neutral if we allow the military craft of one country on their way to attack another country to land in our jurisdiction with arms. We now admit some of them do carry arms and we are not sure about 15%. Under the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Order 1973, the carriage of weapons through Shannon Airport on commercial aircraft is prohibited unless an exemption has been obtained. Mr. Burgess has told us how many requests have been made and were granted, but we need to know what requests were made.