Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Most things have been said. Overall, the report is very positive and very welcome. As Deputy Seán Barrett has said, we are extremely proud of our soldiers who serve on overseas missions. I have made the point several times that it is not a holiday they embark upon but very serious missions which pose a threat to life and safety and to their health and well-being. They undertake this in the service of their country, maintaining peace and sometimes enforcing peace. It is part of our international obligation to participate with other like-minded states in working towards global peace and ensuring security across the globe. We have as important a role to play as any other country. Despite our small geographic size, we have quite a large stature on the international stage and we certainly display that, particularly with our Defence Forces and our work overseas. To see that we have sent some 65,000 members of the Defence Forces overseas since 1958 is quite remarkable and extremely impressive. As citizens, we should all be very proud of this.

We are celebrating our 60th anniversary with UN peacekeeping missions and our 40th anniversary in UNIFIL. These are milestones to be celebrated and to be proud of. Has the Minister of State or anyone in his Department thought about how we might mark the occasion? Might it be worth erecting some sort of statue or monument to recognise our UN veterans, in particular, and those who have served on UN missions overseas? They have represented our country and our Defence Forces with distinction. Given the year that it is in it and the fact that we have reached these incredible milestones, it would be a really worthwhile project to consider some sort of monument, perhaps somewhere here in the capital. It could become a location for children in school, young people and citizens across the board who are very proud of their soldiers to come and learn about the history of Ireland's participation in UN projects. It could form part of a visitor attraction. We should think about doing this to try to acknowledge the work that has been done. Ours is a unique achievement in this regard. There are plenty of people who might come up with some design concepts. I have seen one that included the blue helmet as part of the design, which I thought looked very impressive. It would be instantly recognisable in what it represents. The Minister of State might discuss this with his officials to see if it is something that could be achieved this year.

I thank our Defence Forces members. There are nearly 600 members overseas at present. I thank them and their families, who are without their loved ones for the period of the mission. Let us not forget the partners and children who are themselves serving their country in their own way.