Ms Lynn Boylan:

The only point I would add is that there are legal experts who can put forward proposals. What I am trying to say to committee members is that the triple lock is a security to guard against the pressure that is coming to bear on countries in the European Union. We were singled out by Commissioner Kaja Kallas only recently. She dismissed our neutrality and effectively said that we did not know oppression or discrimination on ethnic or language rights in this country. That is the culture we are dealing with. That is the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who dismissed Ireland's neutrality on the floor of the Parliament. What I say to all members is that, regardless of who is in government, we can point to the triple lock as a firewall against this pressure.

To use the example of Spain, Mark Rutte has clearly said - as has Mr. Andrews here today - that we should cut social welfare in order to provide funding to reach 5% of GDP. The Spanish Prime Minister has said he is not prepared to do that, but he is coming under enormous pressure. He is being publicly excoriated for saying that. We must be honest with the public. Are we saying that we want to cut our social welfare in order to pay for European defence?