Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Like many other people, I was shocked on Saturday to discover that the US Vice President, Mike Pence, had taken part in a military photo opportunity with American troops at Shannon Airport. This incident raises a number of concerns. Ongoing concerns about the use of Shannon Airport for military transfer, which have been well aired in this and the Lower House, have not yet been addressed. There are also specific concerns, including that this military photo-op on Irish soil was for the administration of another country and involved troops who are taking part in actions far outside the triple lock and normal UN conventions.It was also concerning because it was being used at a divisive time in Irish politics. The tweets and messages sent out by the political figures at the time were used as a source of division and were being used in respect of the shutdown in American politics. They were also concerning because - so far away are we from the triple lock now - the mission that the US Vice President, Mike Pence, was on was not a mission in any way related to any kind of UN mission but a mission to promote the active disregard of UN resolutions. It was his mission to travel and promote the opening of an embassy in Jerusalem and several stops thereafter. We have several layers of concern around this trip. I would like to know and I would like the Leader to find out, if he can, the answer to several questions. Was the Government aware of this? How was the Government aware of it? What decision-making took place around allowing such a media opportunity to take place in Ireland on Irish soil?

Again, this points to wider concern in the House around the slow erosion of neutrality. We are keeping the word but we are chipping away. We saw homelessness being chipped away as an issue. We have this chipping away now.

Questions arose at another moment. An article in the Irish Examinerbefore Christmas told us that the numbers being rescued by Irish naval missions in the Mediterranean are going down. Again, I applaud every front-line member, every staff member and every member of the navy. I am proud of them and their unique mandate. We knew that the decline in numbers would materialise because it was signalled clearly by the Minister of State at the Department of Defence, Deputy Kehoe. He told us that humanitarian search-and-rescue was moving down the line as a priority. Now the interception of all supplies to Libya has become different and more of a concern.

A motion on permanent structured co-operation, PESCO, was passed before Christmas. It contained no mention at all of peace, peace-keeping or peace-building. I believe it was a mark of disrespect to the House when the Minister of State directly refused to answer questions on whether joint military procurement between Ireland and other countries would be subject to the triple lock, whether it would have appropriate scrutiny and whether we would ensure that when we buy military equipment, it would be used within a UN mandate. He said he would answer questions in the Dáil. I hope he has the opportunity to answer the questions, but I believe those of us in this House are entitled to ask these questions as well.

We know the public supports neutrality. I am calling again on the Leader to communicate to the Government the importance of an active passionate engagement, not only vigilance around our neutrality but passionate embracing of Ireland's role in peace-building. This requires such vigilance and it requires us taking ourselves seriously. It is an important time. It is a hawkish time. Let us step up to that role.