Róisín Garvey (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise an issue I am concerned about. As spokesperson on enterprise, trade and employment I am all about accessing EU funding for the SME sector to support it in any way we can. I am also all about Ireland never waning on its neutral stance when it comes to being involved in war. I have deep concerns on the vague wording used about an event happening this weekend. An event entitled EU Funding for Irish Defence and Security, Enterprise and R&D - Maximising the Opportunities, is happening this weekend. The Minister for Defence, Deputy Coveney, will be attending. It is very important that we do not move towards ever encouraging any SME, no matter how stuck we are for jobs, in getting involved in any way in manufacturing anything that can be used as weapons of war even if it is only a small component or something that can be used. We are a neutral country. I organised the very first anti-war protest at Shannon Airport before the Iraq war started. I have protested outside the gates of Leinster House to maintain our neutrality. This kind of event is deeply worrying.

I do not know if I have to appeal to the Minister or to the SME sector. Just because there is funding for something does not mean we have to go and get it. There are many other ways of getting jobs and we are working very hard at creating other jobs including the green economy. I would beg that our SME sector does not go down that road, that it holds on to its morals and ethics around what it gets funding for. We do not want to turn into a small neutral nation that all of a sudden is supplying in any shape or form anything to do with war. If wars ever solved anything we would not still be having them. War is one of the biggest moneymakers in the world. We know it is a huge global industry. I have read many books about it. I try not to get emotional about the money wasted on weapons of mass destruction and on small weapons because it is so wrong. The terror has never resolved any issues, not in Iraq, not in Afghanistan, not anywhere. We should have no hand, act or part, and I implore the Minister to tread very carefully with this kind of event. I implore the SME sector to hold onto its moral compass and never take money that will enable it to manufacture anything that will be used in war.