Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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37. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his views regarding the nomination of a person (details supplied) as chair of the European Union military committee, in particular the way in which this nomination fits with Ireland's stated military neutrality; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43973/17]

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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This question is similar to my earlier one but such is the bounce of the ball in the Priority Question lottery. It relates to the nomination of the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces to the position of chair of the European Union military committee. When the nomination was announced, the Minister of State told us proudly that Ireland is one of the strongest contributors to common security and defence policy operations and that the nomination provides a positive and valuable profile for Ireland in the area of security and defence within the EU. Ireland is a neutral country. Raising our profile in the EU for security and defence is neither positive nor valuable.

I would like the Minister of State to critique how he can justify that in the context of our stated neutrality.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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As I indicated in my earlier reply, following last month's approval by the Government, Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces, was formally nominated on behalf of the Irish Government for election to the position of chair of the European Union Military Committee, EUMC. The position of chair of the EUMC will become vacant in November 2018 and Ireland's nominee, Vice Admiral Mellett, will line up for election alongside candidates from other member states.

As the Deputy will be aware, the EUMC is the highest military body within the EU and was established by a Council decision of 22 January 2001. It is composed of the chiefs of defence of member states who, on a day to day basis, are represented in Brussels by the military representativesfrom the Permanent Representations of the member states.

The EUMC operates as a consensus based collective, with the chair bringing together the views of member states and representing these to the European External Action Service, the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, and other relevant institutions, including the European Defence Agency, EDA.

The EUMC provides the Political and Security Committee, which comprises ambassadors from all 28 member states, who deal with all issues relating to the EU common foreign and security policy, CFSP, and the common security and defence policy, CSDP, with advice and recommendations on all military matters, including on all aspects of the planning and operation of the EU's CSDP operations. It also provides advice on EU military capability requirements to undertake CSDP operations and on military capability development requirements within the framework of the European Defence Agency.

Chairmanship of the EUMC has no implications for Ireland's traditional policy of military neutrality. Ireland already participates fully in the work of the committee through our military representative in Brussels and all meetings of EU chiefs of defence. The Deputy may wish to note that both Finland, from 2001 to 2004, and Sweden, from 2009 to 2012, have already held the position of chair of the EUMC as neutral countries.

Ireland is one of the strongest contributors to CSDP operations and remains committed to all aspects of CSDP and to the role CSDP can play in UN mandated peacekeeping operations. It is the case that the UN has continually stressed the important role the EU can and does play in support of international peace and security. Should Vice Admiral Mellett be successful, it would help to reinforce the existing strategic relationship between the EU and the UN.

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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Every time a decision is made that compromises our neutrality we are told it does not compromise our neutrality, and we are getting increasingly concerned about the Government's approach to neutrality being especially cavalier. When we raise concerns, as we did earlier, about the Irish Defence Forces being sent off to join the military offensive in Operation Sophia, we were told not to worry about it. When we raise again and again the use of Shannon Airport by US military troops we are told they are not involved in anything and they are just passing through on their holidays. When we raise concerns about this, we are told Sweden and Finland had it before and not to be worrying about it as they were previous chairs, and this is just about raising Ireland's profile, as if it was like Limerick bidding for the European City of Culture. It is not good enough, particularly given the imminent exit by Britain from the EU. As the Minister of State knows, France and Germany in particular have been the main drivers of a deeper European Defence Agency, with Britain preferring to line up with the Americans. In the absence of Britain, that drive towards militarism is likely to increase further and deepen, and Ireland will be fully absorbed into the EU military machine at that stage. The nomination explicitly ties us closer to the reality of EU militarisation, and membership of military alliances is not compatible with neutrality.

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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Before I allow the Minister of State back in, Deputies Wallace and Ó Snodaigh have indicated. I will allow both of them in, but I ask them to keep their comments as short as they can because it is Deputy Daly's question.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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We allow a civilian airport on this island to be used as a US military base, from where it goes on to cause destruction in other regions. There is a humanitarian disaster taking place in Yemen at present, and arms going through Shannon are being used there. They are going to the Saudis, backed by the US and Britain. We cannot call ourselves neutral while we allow this to happen. I do not know how the Minister of State can do that and how he can say we are neutral when we allow this to happen. As Deputy Daly said, the militarisation of the EU is very worrying and we should have as little as possible to do with it. We have nothing to gain from it. We should not have anything to offer it. We should be neutral and have nothing to do with people who want to solve decisions with bombs, guns and whatever.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I agree with both Deputies who have spoken on this. If the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, is appointed or succeeds in his nomination, does he resign his commission? If not, will he still be bound by departmental guidelines, policies and instructions? We were told before the summer that the pressure for us to move a motion signing up to Operation Sophia came from within the Defence Forces. Is the award of a nomination his reward for succeeding in moving Ireland against its own neutral policy?

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State has one minute because I want to go back to Deputy Daly.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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At a time when the world has become a more unstable and insecure place, Ireland remains fully supportive of the efforts of EU member states within the treaty provisions to contribute to the Union's capacity to respond to all the challenges in the security environment, including through the EU's common security and defence policy. The position of the chair of the EUMC, as I have previously outlined, is a key role in the EU institutions, bringing together the views of all member states and representing these to the European External Action Service, the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission. It does not bring into question our policy on neutrality. I believe this is a good move for Ireland, and I hope Vice Admiral Mellett is successful in his nomination to become EUMC chair.

Deputies Wallace and Daly have raised the issue of Shannon Airport, and I indicated previously this is a matter for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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In September, the Minister of State sent the LE Samuel Beckett to one of the world's biggest arms fairs. Along with it, he sent a delegation of departmental officials to browse the stands of the arms manufacturers. There was, correctly, an outcry at the time. I do not know whether the Minister of State is blind to, or arrogantly ignoring the fact the vast majority of Irish citizens are fully behind our policy of neutrality and are increasingly becoming more alive to the Government's efforts to undermine it. The Taoiseach received an email this morning, to which we were copied in, from a citizen I do not know. She wrote to the Taoiseach stating she is very worried at the slow but definite movement of Ireland into the heart of the EU military structure. This is exactly what is happening. We do not have the military capacity to become a military power. All we are doing is exposing Irish people while not protecting them, by trying to play that game for some prestige or some unknown reason. We cannot abandon this policy. What is particularly offensive is the idea we are doing it without any real and serious dialogue in here.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I should have answered Deputy Ó Snodaigh's question. The chief steps down as Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces. He remains as an officer in the Irish Defence Forces but no longer Chief of Staff if he is successful.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Is he still answerable?

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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He is still an Irish officer of the Defence Forces.

There were further questions on us sending our Naval Service ship to the tradeshow in Britain. This is a decision I made. Babcock, the builder of our three naval vessels, asked me if I would consider it. I did so.

I also made a decision to send members to the trade show because we are in the business of buying equipment. It is like buying any equipment, be it a car or otherwise. Of course one is going to go to a trade shows to see what the best equipment is and what represents the best value for a country such as Ireland.

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State and the Deputies for contributing to the debate over the past hour and 30 minutes. It was a pleasure to chair it. I wish the Members well.