Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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21. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of times to date in 2016 that the Defence Forces has been called on to perform aid to civil power duties at Irish airports in respect of US military planes. [33811/16]

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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This question seeks from the Minister of State data on the number of times to date in 2016 that the Defence Forces were called on to perform aid to the civil power duties at Irish airports in respect of US military planes. I would expect most of those to have taken place in Shannon Airport, it being almost de factoa US military air base at this stage. Would the Minister of State be willing to take Shannon Airport under his auspices, as is the case with Baldonnel airport, such that we would not have to put questions in this way given the amount of traffic by the US military at Shannon Airport?

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Justice and Equality and An Garda Síochána have primary responsibility for the internal security of the State. Among the roles assigned to the Defence Forces in the White Paper on Defence is the provision of aid to the civil power, ATCP, which, in practice, means to assist An Garda Síochána when requested to do so. Since 5 February 2003, the Garda Síochána has requested ATCP support from the Defence Forces at Shannon Airport, as required. The number of duties incurred in the provision of ATCP support at Irish Airports to date in 2016 in respect of US military planes is 350.

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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This is an important issue. I note the Minister of State stated in a reply earlier this year that the amount of money expended on this area was over €135,000. In essence, what we are talking about is Ireland giving over time, space and hundreds of thousands of euros, that could be better spent elsewhere, to activities that are in reality a flagrant breach of our neutrality so that the US military can be facilitated in terms of its activities abroad. I would like the Minister of State to deal with the issue of Yemen in particular. There is a strong suspicion that Ireland may have played a role in one of the most horrific civilian massacres in Saudi Arabia's campaign in Yemen in that it facilitated the use of Shannon Airport for the transportation of weaponry to Saudi Arabia which ended up being used to kill civilians in Yemen. Will the Minister of State comment on the spike in aircraft activity around the NATO exercises in Poland earlier this year and on use of Shannon Airport in that regard and whether it is not glaringly obvious that our neutrality is being undermined by these activities.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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The Government's recent review of foreign policy and the Defence Forces White Paper on Defence confirmed that Ireland will continue to maintain its traditional policy on military neutrality in terms of non-membership of military alliances and non-participation in common or mutual defence arrangements.

The issues of over-flight by foreign military aircraft and the use of Shannon Airport by military aircraft are the responsibility of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. However, the Deputy will be aware that successive Governments have made over-flight and landing facilities at Shannon Airport available to the United States for well over 50 years. These arrangements are in line with our traditional policy and military neutrality. The Defence Forces has no responsibility for the search of foreign military aircraft landed at Shannon Airport.

In regard to the Deputy's question on cost, expenditure relating to the deployment of Defence Forces personnel at Shannon Airport is met from the Defence Forces annual Vote.

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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In these matters ignorance is not bliss, nor is it an excuse. While President Obama may be more handsome and accommodating than president-elect Trump it is nonetheless the case that under President Obama, $115 billion worth of weaponry was sold to the Saudis. We know that aircraft refuelled mid-air at Shannon were en routeto Saudi Arabia. Shannon Airport in that sense had a role to play in the destruction of Yemen. The Minister of State did not in the context of his reference to our traditional neutrality mention that our traditional neutrality involved garrison troops in Cold War Germany who were not on their way to active combat or their holidays. This is not a two or three times a day occurrence through our airports. I would welcome a comment from the Minister of State on the spike in landings.

It went from about 19 in June to approximately 32 per month earlier in the year and around the time of the NATO exercises in Poland. It is clear that we are being used to facilitate the further militarisation of Europe.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I do not believe that for one minute. I reiterate that this has been reviewed on a number of occasions. The Deputy talked about ammunition aboard aircraft. The Defence Forces have no responsibility to search any foreign military aircraft which lands at Shannon Airport. They are an aid to the civil power and An Garda Síochána when they deploy personnel to the airport.