Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will not make a final intervention after this because we have ventilated it well enough.

It sounds to some extent as though these are criteria the Dáil should have regard to, but ultimately it remains a decision of the Dáil and there is no safeguard beyond that. I am concerned about that. It is not the UN Security Council or anyone on it that has prevented us from sustaining a peacekeeping presence in the Golan Heights; it is because of a lack of resources and underinvestment in the Defence Forces. The most recent issue for Irish personnel being in a position to contribute to peacekeeping was, unfortunately, the approximately 130 personnel who were withdrawn from the Golan Heights and that was because of the failings and underinvestment in the Defence Forces.

Returning to the first question, the most fundamental issue we have to resolve that is relevant to this area is the proper resourcing of our Defence Forces.

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