Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to debate the UN mandate for Operation Sophia. I am aware the proposal is subject to the triple lock mechanism and it must be mandated by the UN, the Cabinet and the Oireachtas. I am shocked it has only recently appeared on the Order Paper and is being rushed through the Oireachtas with little time for full debate at this 11th hour. I am further shocked that once again we are calling on the Defence Forces - in this case the Naval Service - and the people who will always do as they are asked at a time when young men are sleeping in ships in Cork because they have nowhere to live. This is a time when young officers are thrown from one end of the country to the other with little or no notice. It is a time when pay deals have been agreed with all the other uniformed services but because our Defence Forces cannot strike or take industrial action, they have been left outside the fray. I am shocked we are doing this to such people. It is pretty God-damned disgraceful that at this 11th hour we are now talking about putting our men in this position.

I want a commitment today that the sailors who go to the Mediterranean will immediately receive full UN pay and not be left sitting for the next two years, as they were when they first went out there. The mission is now being changed and this represents a marked departure from the current humanitarian mission. As we know, Naval Service operations in the Mediterranean have been based on a bilateral agreement with Italy and since 2015, the Naval Service has saved approximately 16,000 migrants in the southern Mediterranean who were trying to get to Europe from Africa or other locations.I have visited them. I have gone out to Sicily to witness at first hand what goes on out there. Our navy has been involved in a humanitarian mission and has been courageous and compassionate. The Minister of State can be proud of the work of the Defence Forces out there. I know he has voiced this on a number of occasions.

However, I wonder about the part being played in Operation Sophia. We are entering a new domain which may call our neutrality into question. I would appreciate it if the Minister of State dealt with this issue this afternoon. The aim of Operation Sophia is described as the disruption of the business model of human smuggling and trafficking networks in the southern Mediterranean by efforts to identify, capture and dispose of vessels used or suspected of being used by smugglers. I was in Pozzallo not so long ago as part of the COSAC commission. We looked at what the Italians are suffering. I question the fact that the Dublin Convention seems to have been set aside because I would expect that migrants who finish up on Irish ships are on Irish soil and should be landed in Ireland, not in Italy. That is something the Minister of State might deal with here as well.

Operation Sophia focuses on smugglers rather than on rescuing migrants even though saving lives can be part of the mandate. Effectively, we are moving from a search and rescue mission to what I would call a "seek and destroy" model where the smugglers are concerned. I support that because I have seen what these people are doing out there. We must stop the migration crisis and one thing we must do is take the smugglers out of the equation. Operation Sophia is now in phase 2. It may involve a more combative approach to tackling the human trafficking, including possible action just off the coast of Libya. We need to be up-front about this. I know it will not happen automatically and would require UN and EU approval. However, given the increased flow of migrants across the Mediterranean this summer, it is easy to see how EU governments could decide that such an operation is required. I find it ironic and concerning that we are rushing this decision through the Oireachtas during the very week that the UK cross-party House of Lords inquiry noted that while lives have been saved, Operation Sophia has failed in its core mandate of stopping the business model of human smuggling and trafficking networks. Given the number of people still trying to leave Libya, this raises the issue of the chaos and violence that exists there. I agree with the findings of the UK inquiry, which believes that any meaningful EU action against people smuggling networks inside Libya first requires a unified government that is able to provide security across the country. At a recent high-level meeting in Brussels, that issue came up, namely, that we must now deal with the Libyan Government. We must get a solid Libyan Government in place to stop these traffickers.

I am on record as being a staunch defender of the Defence Forces and the Minister of State knows that. In this case, we are over-extending ourselves in terms of resources. I keep hearing about recruitment. Only yesterday, I spoke about how 60 members are leaving the Defence Forces per week. Are we putting people to sea to go to the Mediterranean who were only recruits a couple of months ago? Will we find ourselves in a situation where Irish ships at home will not be able to put to sea for lack of officers because they are all tied up in the Mediterranean? I am glad the Minister of State is shaking his head because I want assurances.

The Minister of State and I know that the Defence Forces are severely lacking in resources so I need assurances. Whether he likes to admit it or not, the Minister of State is presiding over the Defence Force which are falling apart. The study by the University of Limerick has shown that the Defence Forces are falling apart. We have two senior officers in Donegal. The Naval Service has been unable to put to sea because it lacked engineering officers. Has the Minister of State done something about that? I do not believe we have the capacity to do this job. I think we are overreaching ourselves.

Leaving aside the issue of our neutrality, which I believe may be compromised, I am seriously concerned. I look at statements from sailors, one of which states:

They throw money at new ships and they won't pay the men serving on them. They say they can't pay us but they're building new ships. Who's going to man these ships?

I could go on. There are lots of statements. The Minister of State has seen them. He can throw his eyes up to heaven. What about these young men and women? Is that a way to treat them? I got a request last week for a food parcel for a soldier. Is the Minister of State telling me he can throw his eyes up to heaven and dismiss that?