Joe Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 149: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on Ireland's current and possible future involvement in United Nations peacekeeping missions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7716/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that members of the Permanent Defence Force are currently serving overseas in eight UN missions in Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire, Western Sahara, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cyprus, Lebanon, Kosovo and the Middle East as well as in multi-national forces authorized by the Security Council in Kosovo, KFOR, Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFOR, Afghanistan, ISAF and with the African Union Mission in Sudan, AMIS.

Deployment to other missions is not currently under active consideration. Any future proposals for overseas deployment by the Permanent Defence Force including those carried out under the European Security and Defence Policy, ESDP, will remain subject to a Government decision and will continue to require UN authorisation for the mission in question. In addition a resolution by Dáil Éireann is required where the proposed number for deployment of Irish personnel exceeds twelve. These conditions are set out in the defence Acts and were reflected in the national declaration made by Ireland at the Seville European Council in June 2002 in advance of the referendum on the Nice treaty held in October of that year.

Assessment of any such proposal would also need to take into account the numbers of Permanent Defence Force personnel available for overseas service at that time.