Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

Following the passing earlier this morning of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2006, has the Taoiseach any plans to discuss with his EU counterparts Ireland joining the battle groups?

Following his visit to Finland, the Taoiseach acknowledged that the present draft of the European Constitution will not be adopted but he stated that there would probably be some alteration of some sort. Has he given any thought to that and what exactly he meant by some alteration of some sort?

Will the Taoiseach redraft or raise the present status of the Seville declaration given that it clearly stated that Irish troops would not be participating in overseas operations except where there was authorisation of the UN and there is now a long litany of language as to how Irish troops might participate overseas? Will the Taoiseach be revisiting and defining the Seville declaration so that it has some meaning?

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