Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

The Minister has confirmed that the activities over the summer were consistent and that on average once a day the Irish Defence Forces are present to protect US military aircraft.

When the Irish Army goes there, at whose behest is it? Is it at the behest of the Garda Síochána? Who decides and who pays for it? We have a responsibility under international law to search the vehicles. This responsibility was confirmed by the UN Human Rights Committee at a recent meeting in Geneva, at which it said that relying on diplomatic assurances was not sufficient in respect of checking whether aircraft were, for example, carrying people for rendition. We have had similar judgments in the High Court - for example, in the Horgan v.Ireland case, in which it was clearly spelled out that a neutral state may not permit the movement of large numbers of troops or munitions of one belligerent state through its territory en route to a theatre of war. Under the Hague Convention, there is a legal responsibility for a neutral power which receives on its territory troops belonging to belligerent armies to intern them as far as possible. We have a responsibility to search the aircraft. Will the Minister instruct the Defence Forces to do so or talk to the Minister for Justice and Equality to get the Garda Síochána to do so? Or must civilians do the job to make sure we are compliant with our international obligations as a neutral country?

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