Professor Ray Murphy:

I thank the Deputy. Let me look at the proposed legislation because, to some extent, I am going to answer Senator Craughwell on an issue he raised. Within the legislation, for example, it proposes to allow the Government to deploy up to 50 Defence Forces personnel essentially without going to the Dáil for approval.

The same legislation expands the circumstances whereby soldiers can be sent abroad, in certain circumstances, for humanitarian work or protection of embassies, etc. It lists a range of non-traditional military functions where the Defence Forces can be applied. It seems very odd to list circumstances, which are outside of international forces in the traditional sense, where our Defence Forces can be sent abroad while keeping this provision that allows 50 soldiers to be sent abroad without any need to go to the Dáil or have any formal approval and specify what they might do in those circumstances.