Mr. Barry Andrews:

As Deputy O'Meara notes, he was not around back in the day. We remember that the armed forces were occupied with paramilitaries for a long time in the 1980s and 1990s before the ceasefires and we benefited from our geographic position for a long time but that is no longer as relevant as it was. Other neutral countries evolved their neutrality based on their geography. I know Finland quite well. Everybody has to serve time in the reserves. The country has a very high level of civil preparedness for attack. Some people mocked the idea that we are all supposed to have 72 hours of provisions in our homes but for Finland, it is a week. It has enough fuel, food and water and is prepared. It has invested heavily in its armed forces in terms of capability.

Even within the context of its neutrality prior to joining NATO, it partnered with NATO to make sure it had interoperability and that whatever it was using could be used with NATO members. It also became involved in joint procurement with NATO. It was of a very different character to the way we see it. Obviously, it has a 1,000 km-long border with Russia. We have a huge maritime area and have already very clearly seen not only vulnerability but examples of where we need to step up. Frankly, it depends on the geography. That has changed for us in recent times.