Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

On the question about any further plans, in the event that the mission to Chad would be terminated, yesterday the Government decided to dispatch five members of the Permanent Defence Force for service with the proposed EU common security and defence policy military mission to contribute to the training of Somali security forces. This mission, which was established under EU Council decision of 4 February 2010, is scheduled to be launched in May 2010.

The conditions under which the Defence Forces may participate in overseas peace support operations have been made very clear by the Government. In this regard, the conditions which have been referred to as the triple lock mechanism must be satisfied. The operation must be authorised and mandated by the United Nations; it must be approved by the Government and it must be approved by way of resolution of the Dáil where the size of a Defence Forces contribution is more than 12 personnel. Ireland receives requests from time to time with regard to participation in various missions and these are considered on a case by case basis. When considering any particular request, the existence of realistic objectives and a clear mandate which has a potential to contribute to a political solution, consideration of how the mission relates to the priorities of Irish foreign policy and the degree of risk involved are among the factors which are considered.

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