Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

I want to be serious. Like Deputy Timmins, I spent a great deal of time at meetings of the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights. I will make the point on Thursday that the joint committee should spend more time discussing defence issues. The justice portfolio has dominated the committee over the past five years, which is fair enough when one considers that many serious matters, including issues which were raised in the Dáil today, have arisen. Defence is as important as some of those issues, however.

Like my colleagues, I welcome the appointment of Major General Pat Nash, who is clearly the right man for the job. I note that he lists hurling, rugby and golf as some of his interests — I am not sure he will have many opportunities to pursue them in Africa. I wish him well. It is important that the Dáil has this opportunity to record its appreciation of the work of the Army. I refer in particular to the work of Major General Pat Nash, who follows a great tradition of Army staff who have served overseas over the years. I am old enough to remember being given time off school to attend the sad funeral services in Dublin of Army personnel who had been killed on the African continent in 1960 and 1962. Many people have spoken over the years about the great work that has been done by the predecessors of Major General Pat Nash, such as General Seán MacEoin, who served in the Congo in the 1960s, and General Jim Quinn, whom I visited in Cyprus. I was never in the Army, funnily enough.

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