Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----but I assure him that I have spoken to Jean-Pierre Lacroix and our ambassador in Lebanon about this issue. If the deployment finishes on the first day of a given month, we should never specifically state that it will finish on the first day but rather that it will finish in and around that week because, crossing the border, very significant diplomatic incidents happen and problems and issues arise. On the most recent such occasion, I had to contact my counterpart in Lebanon directly , who was able to resolve the issue for me. When we go out on peacekeeping duties under the blue helmets we should be accommodated in every way. Unfortunately, the smooth running does not always happen.

To answer Deputy Broughan's question, there are currently no requests for the Defence Forces to participate in any new missions in 2020.

To answer Deputy Jack Chambers's questions, we have responsibilities at home and overseas, so in any overseas deployment or mission in which we participate we must consider our responsibilities on this island as well. More importantly, we must look at the security situation of any mission. That is my number one priority. It is also a priority for the Defence Forces, the Department and Government.

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