Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is an issue we debate regularly in this House and that is fine. In accordance with the Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order 1952, primary responsibility for the regulation of activity by foreign military aircraft in Ireland rests with my colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. Pursuant to this legislation, permission is required for foreign military aircraft to overfly Ireland or to land at Irish airports. The arrangements that are in place for seeking such permission are a matter for the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, but I understand that these include a provision that such requests must be submitted to his Department by the embassy of the country in question. Primary responsibility for the internal security of the State rests with the Department of Justice and Equality and An Garda Síochána. There is ongoing and close liaison between my Department and the Department of Justice and Equality and between An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces regarding security matters, including aid to the civil power, ATCP, deployments. One of the roles assigned to the Defence Forces is the provision of ATCP which, in practice, means to assist An Garda Síochána when requested to do so. This role was affirmed by the Government in the recently published new White Paper on Defence.

In the development of the new White Paper, discussions were held with a range of other Departments and agencies on significant cross-cutting policy issues. This process of consultation did not result in any impetus to make changes to the arrangements that have been in place since 2003 when the Defence Forces were first deployed to Shannon Airport at the request of An Garda Síochána.

In relation to recommending a more active role for the Defence Forces in protecting our neutrality, I wish to stress that the use of Shannon Airport by foreign military aircraft is not incompatible with our neutrality. Successive Governments have made overflight and landing facilities available at Shannon Airport for well over 50 years and this is fully consistent with Ireland’s obligations under successive resolutions of the UN Security Council. I am satisfied with the existing arrangements in place and I have no plans to recommend a more active role for the Defence Forces.

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