Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

It is rare for me to contribute to debates of this nature. I am speaking on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Howlin, who is unable to attend. In speaking to him earlier about the nature of this debate, it struck me that for such an important subject to be relegated to a Thursday afternoon slot, with less than an hour for the debate, does it no service whatsoever.

Students of history might cast their minds back to the 1918 election, which came after the 1916 Rising and, we are often told, was a demonstration of Ireland's determination to be independent. In fact, one of the main motivations for people to vote for Sinn Féin in that election, the Labour Party having stood aside, was the issue of conscription. It was the first election in which women voted. Conscription was a major emotional issue and the rationale behind many people's voting decisions in that election. At the time, at the very foundation of the State, there were people in Ireland who were resistant to demands from the great and the good to push people who did not want to be pushed into a state of war. Those emotions and those debates are lost in time but we should remember and reflect on them and we should be loyal to that ethic.

I concur with what the previous speaker said about the Women of Honour. My party leader, Deputy Bacik, spoke about their situation earlier and got an assurance from the Tánaiste, which was very much appreciated, the he will listen and adhere to what they are advocating for and seeking. This is not just a matter of righting wrongs of the past. If we are to deal with the recruitment and retention issue within the Defence Forces, the strength of which currently stands at fewer than 8,000 individuals, these sorts of issues will have to be resolved.

For somebody like me who rarely speaks on these issues, I was immediately struck by the first reference in the motion, which is to category B collaborative procurement of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear, CBRN, equipment. That jumps off the page. I concur with Deputy Carthy that this proposal deserves a little more scrutiny in the Oireachtas, perhaps in a committee setting in which a proper investigation can be made into what it means, rather than having it nodded through in a formulaic way in a debate such as this.

As Deputy Howlin outlined to me earlier, it is true that the Government needs to buy primary radar for the State and to replace armoured cars. We can do that in an efficient manner, in the way outlined by the Minister of State in his contribution. However, part of what we are discussing today is related to process and part of it is to do with the drift in which the Government is apparently engaged, in which it seems to be pushing towards a change in our long-standing viewpoint as a Republic as to what our place is in the world. We should not take that place for granted. I grew up in an Ireland in which people thought this country was irrelevant, unimportant and that what we had to say on the international stage was not of any relevance. In fact, what we say on the international stage has huge relevance because of our colonial history, the nature of what we have endured, our record of peacekeeping and because people trust us. When Irish politicians say something on the international stage, they are trusted. They are seen not to be speaking from a place of untruth but from a place of wounds, hurt, damage and violence in our muscle memory. I remind the Minister of State of that.

The Labour Party will support the Sinn Féin amendment. The proposals in this motion deserve more investigation.

I repeat that we do need to invest in many of the materials our Defence Forces use but, to come to the House, list what is itemised under category B and suggest that we could walk out of here having just given it a nod, belittles the House and belittles the nature of this conversation.

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