Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the witnesses for their presentations, which were excellent. Summarising Mr. Noonan’s contribution, he said this Bill is for us to make a decision on whether to put our young people in harm’s way. I assure him, I, like all of my colleagues, are taking this seriously. A member of my family is a member of the Defence Forces. I assure Mr. Noonan and his colleagues that any decision I make will be based on how I would like to see him or any other person involved in our Defence Forces to be deployed anywhere.

I have a number of questions on what Deputy Stanley said. The United Nations was formed to prevent future global conflicts and promote international co-operation. Is it still fit for purpose? NATO was established to keep the Americans in, the Russians out and the Germans down, to paraphrase Baron Ismay. Should we ever consider joining NATO? Can we really be militarily neutral if we cannot defend ourselves? If we get rid of the triple lock, do the witnesses see a role for the Seanad and the President in ensuring the safety our armed forces into the future?