Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Yes, to be clear, provision is already made for inspections. It is absolute nonsense to suggest that the next six months need to be taken up with trying to develop a legal mechanism that might allow us, in effect, to do spot checks. The legislation already allows inspections to be done. Inspections have previously happened. There have been no inspections since 2020, which means no inspections under the watch of this Government or this Minister, but they did happen previously. That power is already there but it is not being exercised.

It is completely inaccurate, wrong and misleading to suggest we need a whole complicated legal process in which the Minister could begin to think about looking at some of the vehicles passing through. The inspections are already provided for under the Chicago Convention. That convention allows for the prohibition of the transport of weapons and munitions and it also allows for inspections. It is explicitly clear that countries can perform inspections. That provision is already there. The problem is it is not being used. I thought we would hear that action will be taken in the interim. Instead, we are hearing there will be talk about action. It is misleading to suggest there is a legal issue. The law is already there.

To be clear, when we talk about the law, the law we should be thinking about right now is the Genocide Convention and the legal obligation we have to take every necessary step to prevent every act towards genocide.