Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

My party colleague Deputy Cronin made the point earlier that what we owe to our Defence Forces personnel is to maintain a system that minimises risk and maximises the contribution they can make to global peace, but the unfortunate reality is there are only 7,500 personnel, as opposed to the target of 11,500. The Tánaiste may revert to the claim that the issue was inherited by the Government, but the rate of recruitment and subsequent retention shows that this claim holds little water. The year 2023 saw fewer Defence Forces personnel deployed on UN peacekeeping missions than was the case when the previous Government's time was coming to an end.

The Tánaiste told a committee this week that the pause on deploying peacekeepers to the Golan Heights is the result of a process of consolidation with regard to overseas commitments and to prepare for future peacekeeping missions. Can he accurately define what he means by “consolidation” and comment on the recruitment and retention issues being experienced through poor Government responsibility against those who give so much of themselves to uphold this country's peacekeeping reputation?

I will end by speaking about the depressing note the Tánaiste sounded at a meeting of the foreign affairs committee this week, when he said that at the time of the HSE cyberattack, our cybersecurity defences were at "a relatively embryonic stage of its formation." This is just one example of the Tánaiste's record and that of his predecessors, yet he thinks it is appropriate to approach issues concerning how this House signs off on matters pertaining to military missions with a minimalistic approach to discussion and scrutiny. We can see this from his willingness to abandon the triple lock despite there being little public appetite for a change to the current position on neutrality. The Tánaiste campaigned on the basis of retaining the triple lock, yet he has now changed his stance on our neutrality and is taking an approach whereby he wants to rush through measures and disguise his own failings. I do not appreciate the attitude he takes on these matters and will not support him in trying to disguise his poor record.

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