Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the presence of the Tánaiste in the Chamber. It is reassuring for us all that the Government is adopting an integrated approach to this issue. In his role as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Tánaiste has played a pretty leading role in trying to address the dreadful crisis that exists in Syria. We are reassured by the integrated approach that is being adopted by the Government.

The Tánaiste referred at the outset to the triple lock. I am a little disconcerted by the manner in which today's debate has been organised. We were initially told that each of the parties would get just five minutes. I think that increased to ten minutes earlier. Someone has mentioned that it has now increased to 15 minutes. I say that in the context of the Tánaiste's remarks about the triple lock. While we welcome the publication of the Green Paper on Defence, there is a certain irony in the fact that it opens the possibility of the triple lock issue being examined. Clearly, it was the Government's intention to give each of the political groupings just five minutes to debate this matter, which involves the dispatch of our troops to what is currently the most troubled part of the world. To my mind, that does not indicate a level of commitment to the triple lock process.

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