Barry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Senator Craughwell. I understand, as ever, that Senator Higgins is coming from a reasoned place but I think the issue was addressed by the Minister for Defence during the Committee Stage debate. We must, as a House, trust that the Minister of the day will make the right decision. I am also conscious of the fact that the triple lock still applies and there are still procedures in place to prevent going beyond what was intended by legislation.

I have not tabled an amendment on this matter but rereading the definition and context of the amendment tabled by Senator Higgins it seems to me that there is an extra "to" in the definition. The Bill reads: "'international force’ means an International United Nations Force or any force to which a contingent or a member of the Defence Forces may be assigned to". There is an extra "to" and the definition is grammatically incorrect. Perhaps the definition can be amended as a simple technical matter. The definition should read "any force to which a contingent or a member of the Defence Forces may be assigned". I do not agree with the Senator's amendment in any event.