Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

The provision the amendment addresses is the dispatch of personnel to serve in secondments in international organisations. The amendment proposes to add the term "battle groups" to the section, namely "the European Union or any institution or body of the European Union". A battle group is not a body or an institution of the European Union and as such, the amendment makes no sense. Personnel will not be seconded to a battle group. The personnel who will be operating in headquarters are deemed to be part of the battle group. In the context of international organisations it makes no sense to state that the terms "international organisations" also includes battle groups. I therefore cannot accept the amendment.

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