Ms Niamh Ní Bhriain:

Yes, but if that legislation is enacted, that is exactly where we will find ourselves. We are saying the world is changing. If the world is changing, why would we come to a conclusion that allows us to act outside of the United Nations?

There is nothing to be gained from Ireland acting outside of the United Nations. If, tomorrow, the United Nations shut down its peacekeeping and said peacekeeping was over and it would not do any more UN peacekeeping missions, I still would not advocate for Ireland to send troops on EU, NATO or any other missions. I would advocate for Ireland to do more of what we did on the cluster munitions legislation and the legacy of Frank Aiken on nuclear non-proliferation. Ireland has an incredible legacy on peace that goes beyond peacekeeping missions. They are just one part of it. If we look at the direction the world is going in, it is going in a very bad direction. If the conclusion we draw from that is to decide to deploy our troops on EU battle group missions, that just would not follow.