Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

This is an extraordinary example of passing the parcel with people's lives. The Minister says that permission must be sought in advance and the final decision, extraordinarily, rests with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, not with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade or the Department of Defence. It is an extraordinary system that allows Ministers to pass responsibility from one to the other without really taking responsibility for 1 million troops passing through Shannon. Even if those 1 million troops do not have arms, ammunition or explosives, although we cannot prove that, they are still going through for a reason. These human beings are being used to engage in war on other people through invasion. The Minister cannot deny that affects decent foreign policy.

See this speech in context