Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)

It is important that a sufficient supply of fuel is available not only for light, but also for air conditioning, which is essential given that temperatures reach 50° Celsius. It is also important for the movement of people. I did not say the soldiers were "confined to base". I said they were not going on the number of patrols on which they expected to go and that they were restricted to the base. It will emerge in the next reply that the soldiers cannot even play football in the base. The mission has gone well but the Minister needs to take a more hands-on approach due to the threat that exists. We need more logistical backup than when the mission was a European one.

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