Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister and his officials to the House. I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak in favour of this legislation which will greatly assist the Defence Forces in developing their capabilities to serve the cause of peace and justice in support of the United Nations. Ireland's record on UN peacekeeping gives us a great deal of which to be proud. More than 750 young Irish men and women are serving on United Nations mandated peace support missions in places as diverse as Chad and Bosnia Herzegovina. Ireland is taking leadership roles in these missions. For example, we provided the commander for the original EUFOR mission to Chad in the person of Lieutenant General Pat Nash and, until recently, held command of the task force central area in Kosovo. We have been able to take these crucial and important roles as a result of the considerable investment in training and equipment the Government has undertaken since the late 1990s.

In recent years, massive improvements have been made in the personal and protection equipment available to our troops, whether the provision of new armoured personnel carriers, personal protection equipment, communications equipment or weaponry. The recent missions undertaken by members of the Defence Forces have been characterised by their multinational nature. We increasingly serve and deploy on UN mandated peacekeeping and peace support missions in close co-operation with other small like-minded countries such as Sweden, Finland and Austria. This co-operation has highlighted the need to ensure different equipment and systems are able to work in tandem without incompatibility issues arising. Known by the Defence Forces as "interoperability", this issue was addressed by Senator Kieran Phelan.

As has been evident from the mission in Chad, Europe has much to contribute in the field of crisis management and peace support operations. Any assistance the European Defence Agency can give member states in this regard will be welcome. As all of us who canvassed for a "Yes" vote in the Lisbon treaty referenda will recall, many fears and concerns on defence and military matters were raised by some on the "No" side, particularly during the first referendum campaign. While these fears, especially those concerning conscription and the creation of a European army, were not founded on reality, they needed to be allayed. The guarantees negotiated by the Taoiseach and Minister for Foreign Affairs went a long way towards addressing the concerns of many during the second referendum campaign.

The Bill before us provides further vital reassurance. It stems from the importance of recognising that military neutrality is important to Irish people who take pride in the fact that our Army is dedicated to peace making and peace building across the globe. While not every man and woman in the street will be able to identify the key components of the triple lock mechanism, the requirement to secure a United Nations mandate and Government and Dáil approval before Irish troops may be deployed, all of them know and understand that the triple lock is an important safeguard and a cornerstone of our policy of military neutrality. I commend the Minister and his advisers on providing a similar triple lock mechanism in the Bill for proposals to participate in European Defence Agency programmes. The approach the Minister has adopted is clear, simple and concise.

To be parochial, from my contacts with personnel serving in Dún Uí Néill Barracks in Cavan town, I have become aware of the importance and centrality of peacekeeping duties to the men and women of the Defence Forces. Almost 60 privates and non-commissioned officers from the barracks have served on peacekeeping duties over the past two years in places as diverse as Bosnia Herzegovina, Kosovo and Chad. Eight members of the Defence Forces from the barracks are serving with the 100th Infantry Battalion in Chad.

Dún Uí Néill Barracks and the men and women of the Defence Forces who serve in it are central to the social fabric of Cavan and its community and sporting life. This is evident from the significant community engagement made by personnel. Almost 200 local schoolchildren have visited the barracks on school trips so far this year. Personnel at the barracks also facilitated 24 students on transition year work experience programmes. As part of its summer training programme, the Youthreach training centre in Cavan had 20 early school leavers based at the barracks for a two-week training course. I will provide the Minister with details of this successful project after the debate. I commend the Army personnel in Dún Uí Néill Barracks, especially Lieutenant Damien Kelleher, Corporal John Wall and Corporal Darren McCarthy, on their enthusiastic approach to the project. A number of the young people who participated have expressed interest in joining the Defence Forces. In this connection, I ask the Minister to comment on the recruitment procedure for the Defence Forces.

Personnel from Dún Uí Néill Barracks are also to the fore in local fund-raising efforts, for example, in so-called rowathon events organised by troops. This year's rowathon in which 20 troops participated raised more than €7,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. A previous event in 2006 raised almost €12,500 for GOAL's Pakistan relief appeal.

I express my appreciation and thanks to the commanding officer and personnel of Dún Uí Néill Barracks for all their hard work and dedication both at home and abroad. The people of Cavan are proud of them. I pay special tribute to Councillor Patricia Walsh, a tireless advocate on behalf of the personnel based at the barracks. I thank the Minister and his officials, particularly Derek Mooney and Suzanne Coogan, for the assistance they have afforded me since I was elected to the House. I ask the Minister to address the decision not to require consultation with the Seanad on the triple lock mechanism.