Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

There are two important issues. I referred already to the first, the need for legal certainty, which is now dealt with by the new provision, even though the Minister denies it. The second and most important matter is that the resolution of the Security Council or the General Assembly of the United Nations is the key issue. Once that resolution is in place, then we can go forward.

The Minister referred to the assembly of the battle group. It does not matter whether the prior assembly takes place in a framework country or in any country involved in the battle group, or in none of those countries. The key issue is that the assembly takes places outside the theatre of operations so that there is no danger to Irish troops. That is what is needed and what should have been enshrined in this legislation. It is not clear because it is presented in a confusing fashion.

The Minister assured us there is no question of any overlap between the area of the dispatch of the troops and that of the subsequent deployment, that there is no question of them being in the same theatre or area of conflict. That is the key to it. That must be in place. If it were not, then we would not have the triple lock because the Minister would have already undermined one of the pillars, namely, deployment prior to getting the UN resolution. It is essential that the assembly area is separate from where they will be deployed and that the deployment takes place only after the Dáil has debated the issue and after the UN resolution has been passed. That is the way I envisage it and I am glad to hear that is the way the Minister envisages it. I would have preferred more circumspect language in section 8 to include that.

The Bill does not address a question on the purpose of a rapid reaction force which will be deployed rapidly to a theatre of operation to deal with a crisis, that is, the issue of how the resolution will be expedited. Has the Minister begun to think through the logistical and timescale implications of the request for the resolution, when the United Nations Security Council might meet and when the General Assembly might meet? What mechanism will apply in terms of those issues?

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