Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 30 together.

As the House is aware, the circumstances in which the Defence Forces may participate in overseas peace support operations have been made very clear by the Government. For participation to take place, the conditions known as the triple lock must be satisfied. According to the triple lock, an operation must be authorised or mandated by the United Nations, approved by Government and endorsed by way of a resolution of Dáil Éireann.

Section 2 of the Defence (Amendment)(No. 2) Act 1960 provides that a contingent of the Permanent Defence Force may be despatched for service outside the State as part of a particular international United Nations force only if a resolution has been passed by Dáil Éireann approving the despatch of a Defence Forces contingent for extra-territorial service as part of the international United Nations force in question. An international United Nations force is defined in the Defence (Amendment) Act 1993 as "an international force or body established by the Security Council or the General Assembly of the United Nations".

The UN mandate for a force and the Dáil resolution provided for in section 2 of the Defence (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1960 form two elements of triple lock. The third element is the Government decision to approve the dispatch of a contingent and introduce an appropriate resolution in Dáil Éireann. Section 2(2) of the Defence (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1960 provides that a contingent of the Defence Forces can serve overseas in the absence of a Dáil resolution where the force is unarmed and the contingent consists of no more than 12 members of the Permanent Defence Force or where the contingent is intended to replace, in whole or in part, or reinforce, an existing contingent.

As I have stated on many occasions in response to questions in the House and elsewhere, there are no plans to reform the current triple lock arrangements.

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