Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I know our troops engage with local communities. The Minister of State mentioned football matches. We think of the famous, iconic football match between the German and British troops during the First World War where they came out on Christmas Eve. A few hours later they were back bombing the hell out of each other. I come back to the contradiction of us being so well respected for the way in which we work in the poorest of poor countries where we are working with local communities. Part of that work is about building capacity. It is about working with civil society. It is about peace and reconciliation. If our troops are coming in a very different capacity, there is a definite contradiction and irony in it. We mentioned the bigger picture and the wider debate. We are the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence so we are in a position to see all sides of what we are doing internationally. There is a new paper coming out on aid. Has the Department of Defence had any input into it so there is no contradiction in what we are doing?

Our troops have to be well trained and have the skills and equipment necessary to do their work. As Deputy Barrett stated, we have to define what that work is. Part of the training of some of the troops we have seen or known about is on very intense, dubious and suspect interrogation of prisoners skills. Is that part of the training that is going on?