Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The problem is that there is history here. Some of us will recall, for example, the Beyond Neutrality document produced by Alan Dukes, a former leader of the Minister's party. There is a concern that Fine Gael does not support the historical decision of this State in terms of neutrality. It is an honourable tradition and one that has served us well.

Regarding the current situation in the Mediterranean, we are all very proud of the role the LE Eithneis playing and we want to ensure its mission remains a search and rescue one. The mission launched recently by the EU is something very different from the one in which we are currently engaged. Will the Minister assert very clearly to the Taoiseach that we must continue our involvement solely in a search and rescue capacity and will not align ourselves with a mission that has an entirely different agenda, one that is driven by NATO states in Europe? I am seeking an assurance from the Minister that the work being done by the Defence Forces and Naval Service, work of which we are all very proud, will continue and they will not be sucked into some other agenda.

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