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

On a number of occasions I raised with the Minister for Defence the fact that carrying out a fundamental restructuring of the Defence Forces in advance of the publication of the Green Paper was something of a farce. In any event, the Green Paper has been published and it is welcome. We look forward to making contributions to the debate on it. The triple lock has quickly emerged as one of the key issues in the context of the Green Paper. This is because the Minister, Deputy Shatter, has clearly put it up for discussion. I do not believe the Minister was a Member of the House in 2004 when Fine Gael tabled a motion calling for the abolition of the triple lock. The Minister of State was probably here at that time and he probably voted in favour of the motion. Abolishing the triple lock was obviously an important part of Fine Gael policy because it was included in a policy document - Beyond Neutrality - which the party produced.

Perhaps the Minister of State might provide the answer to a riddle. On Wednesday, the Taoiseach came before the House in the aftermath of the publication of the Green Paper and indicated that there is no question whatsoever about the triple lock and that, in fact, it is as safe as houses. If that is the case, what is the value of the discussion process relating to the Green Paper? In the context of a document produced by the Minister for Defence, the Taoiseach, who is the Head of Government, has stated that the triple lock is not going to be dismantled. It appears that the decision has already been made - I am happy with it - before the discussion in which the Minister for Defence has decided we should engage has even begun. Will the Minister of State explain how this situation arose?

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