Professor Ben Tonra:

On the Deputy's question with regard to the Commission on the Defence Forces, do not get me started. If the committee could find an EU angle on the commission, I would love to come back on it. The short answer is that if we have three levels of ambition outlined in that document, my hope and aspiration would be that the highest level of ambition would be pursued by the Government and subsequent Governments. That is it. That would only bring us up to the level of other small European states of comparable size.

On the question with regard to China, again, it is an issue on which we could speak for a day. China and Russia are ad idemin terms of what they are doing. What they are both doing is challenging the established international order. There are good reasons to challenge it because it was formed at a certain time in history, with particular interests at the forefront, and it does need profound reform. Both China and Russia have an interest in destabilising and changing the rules of the game. Those changed rules will not suit countries like Ireland.