Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

I have read the report. I will get to the point. That logic makes no sense. How can the Minister explain it? How the Minister explains it, if anyone who reads the report will see, is in the 44 reference to NATO. I will quote just one. They are all like this. It states, the need "for the Defence Forces to be trained and equipped to NATO standards". It is because they can have further operations in line with NATO. That is what this is about.

If you listened to the remarks of Deputy Cathal Crowe from Fianna Fáil, criticising the Government for not being hard enough on the Russian military operations in the exclusive economic zone, EEZ, think of how that was spun by the media and by the Government. We are against all military operations. We are against the military training exercises by the Russians in the EEZ and out of the EEZ, but we are also against the operations of NATO warships that happen in the EEZ all the time. I asked the Minister for a list of all those exercises other than Irish exercises within EEZ waters over the past 20 years and he would not give me an answer. The Minister stated that data have been collated but stated, "It is not unusual for naval ships or vessels of other States to carry out training exercises within the Irish EEZ or to passage through this area." It is not unusual. As to which countries, they are NATO countries. They use Shannon Airport day in, day out. Over 1 million US troops passed through Shannon Airport. Who knows how many people were brought back the other way in terms of rendition flights.

I will deal with one particular issue, which is the squadron of jet combat planes. A single one of these planes, for example, the Saab Gripen, which is mentioned in one of the submissions, costs €75 million apiece and we are talking about buying a squadron of 12 or 24 of those. One of these planes is the equivalent of a housing estate of 350 houses. Twelve aeroplanes will not scare off the Russians, the British, the Americans, the Chinese or whoever but 12 new housing estates would make a real impact for thousands of people. A full squadron of jets would cost €1.8 billion - more than the national children's hospital. At least the children's hospital will serve a real purpose. This is simply giving money to armaments companies - dealers of death - for no purpose other than some macho posturing.

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