Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I attended the debate last night in Dáil Éireann on the current state of the Defence Forces. I compliment Deputy Lisa Chambers on the wonderful presentation she made. Deputy Marc MacSharry addressed the issue I had addressed in this House yesterday, namely, RAF jets flying in Irish airspace. Subsequent to my presentation yesterday, the National Security Committee was brought to my attention. I am horrified that there is zero oversight by the Oireachtas of this vital committee which is responsible for the security of the nation. In the United Kingdom there is a parliamentary committee that is solely responsible for the management and oversight of all security services. In this country there is no accountability to this House, the Members of which are democratically elected. The Leader can decide which Minister is responsible for the matter, but I am asking him to bring a Minister to the House at his convenience to enable us to discuss the security of the State. The National Security Committee is reactive and not proactive. There is a disjointed and unco-ordinated approach to intelligence gathering and security, including cyber security and espionage. As the matter needs urgent attention, I ask the Leader to deal with it at his convenience. We should not, however, leave it in the pot too long.