Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It was written by Mr. Patrick Smyth. I can give the Deputy a copy. To say this was not in the ether or that we were holding onto it and not letting anyone know about it is not correct. Deputy Lisa Chambers was right when she stated she was aware of it and had been questioned on it. It is not something we have been cooking up in small private smoke-filled rooms. Before I leave I will give the Deputy a copy of the article published on 9 November. It spells out clearly the way in which we had to come to a Government decision and a Dáil decision to ratify our participation in PESCO.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett spoke about defence spending. It is provided in the protocols to the Lisbon treaty that as a Parliament we will decide how much we will spend on defence. It passes through the Dáil every year in the budget. Deputies can object, express support or do whatever they want when it comes to defence spending. The Deputy spoke about NATO standards. Of course-----