Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator again for her points. As I set out previously, there are quite strict limitations in law covering the roles and functions in respect of which members of the Defence Forces can be deployed overseas beyond being part of an international UN force under the 1960 Act. I set out the roles covered in section 3 of the 2006 Act.

Amendments 3, 4 and 5 are alternatives and are concerned with the provisions in the Defence (Amendment) Act 2006 for the secondment of members of the Permanent Defence Force to an international organisation. These amendments, if accepted, would significantly alter the process for the secondment of a person for duties as a military representative or filling an appointment or posting outside the State. Most of the time, secondments are of individuals or small numbers of personnel being posted. If it were a larger contingent of the Defence Forces, other checks and balances would apply. The practical effect of the amendments would be that additional restrictions would apply if the Minister for Defence considered personnel for appointments or postings in the EU or to the NATO Partnership for Peace liaison office, the OSCE or any similar organisation.

Amendment No. 3 would, in certain circumstances, require the Minister of Defence to seek the approval of Dáil Éireann regarding the secondment of a member of the Permanent Defence Force to an international organisation. It is important to note that the list of organisations and types of organisations covered by the term "international organisation" are clearly specified in section 1 of the Defence (Amendment) Act 2006. They are:

(a) the United Nations,

(b) the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe,

(c) the European Union or any institution or body of the European Union, or

(d) any regional arrangement or agency that participates, or has participated, in operations as part of an International United Nations Force

There are already clear provisions in the Defence Acts covering the secondment of a member of the Permanent Defence Force to an international organisation. It is vital to our national interests, in respect of engaging with and influencing developments in these spheres, that the State have the capacity to deploy personnel to such organisations, in support of international peace and security, to influence ongoing developments, gain professional experience and knowledge of the structures and modi operandiof such organisations and feed that information back into the defence organisation and the wider Government system, as appropriate.

The Minister has considered the Senator's amendments. As indicated, we will not be accepting them. There is an annual motion in the Dáil that already allows for the discussion of secondments. That is an existing structure within our parliamentary system. The relevant Oireachtas committee regularly debates the secondments or any international role the Defence Forces have. Information is also made available through our parliamentary question system, whereby details and facts are given to Members.