Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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We may do so in the future but we are getting legal advice from the Office of the Attorney General. Ireland is not a member of NATO. We are not going to be a member of NATO any time soon. We have put arrangements in place that are the equivalent of signing the SOFA to ensure that our troops get the protection they need when they are abroad, training with other troops in other European countries. It would probably be more straightforward if we did sign the SOFA, but I do not want to give a legal opinion on the complexities of that. I do not have the detail to provide to the committee, but perhaps we can provide it from the Office of the Attorney General.