Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

At the RACO conference the Minister raised the serious issue of the percentage of officers serving overseas. I note that the Minister for Defence has today tabled a motion to the House seeking to redeploy troops to Sierra Leone. In his capacity as Government Whip, will the Minister of State agree to bring that motion before the House rather than a committee? The tradition was for such motions to come before the House but in recent years it has been brought to committee. In view of the comments made by the Minister at that conference, will the Minister of State agree to bring it to the Dáil?

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