Cathy Bennett (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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47. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will report on his engagements with regard to the impact his proposed removal of the triple lock neutrality protection will have on Irish neutrality. [60472/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I have earlier updated the House regarding Government’s intentions with regard to the proposed amendments to legislation governing the overseas deployments of the Defence Forces (the proposed Defence Amendment Bill).

As I have previously outlined, the General Scheme of the Bill was published on 21 May last. It consolidates with amendments, the existing provisions of the Defence Acts 1954 to 2015 concerning the despatch of members of the Defence Forces for service outside the State. The General Scheme also proposes amendments to existing legislation to provide for the suspension of members of the Defence Forces in order to give effect to recommendations in the 2024 Ward Report.

The Pre-Legislative Scrutiny process of the General Scheme was completed at the end of July. This process provided the Oireachtas Committee with the opportunity to examine the Heads and to consult relevant stakeholders on the proposed legislation. Matters raised during this process are now being progressed as the Bill is being drafted.

Under the current proposals in the General Scheme, the requirement for a UN mandate will be removed. I wish to again underline that the legislation in place currently, allows members of the UN Security Council, by means of a veto or threat of same, to bind Ireland's hands in its international engagement.

Recent vetoes by a UN Security Council member on a proposed resolution for a full and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza last June, as well as the challenges evidenced over the summer with regard to the extension of the UNIFIL mandate are ample evidence of this. With regard to the latter particularly, in the event that the UNIFIL mandate was not extended, Ireland would have been in the position of having to plan to withdraw its Defence Forces personnel from UNIFIL immediately following the expiration of the mandate.

It is simply untenable therefore for this Government to continue with this policy, and I reiterate that such considerations on international engagement should be within Ireland’s sovereign control, and that the decision making on this should be purely within the remit of our Government and Dáil, which have been democratically elected by the people of Ireland.

I recognise, however, that in removing the UN Security Council mandate requirement, there is a need to strengthen the principles which govern the despatch of Defence Forces personnel overseas. Therefore, in parallel to removing the UN mandate requirement, text will be included in this Bill which will require that the mandate of future operations must be consistent with and adhere to the principles of the UN Charter and international law. These principles are being refined to ensure appropriate legal effect as part of the drafting process.

It remains my intention is to bring this Bill to Government shortly and for the various stages in the Oireachtas to commence thereafter. There will be time to debate the draft legislation in the Dáil & Seanad, with ample opportunity to scrutinise the proposals at each stage.

Finally, I again want to make it absolutely clear, that this Government has no desire to alter Ireland’s policy of military neutrality, and that the amendments proposed will do nothing to change Ireland’s traditional position of military neutrality, which is characterised by Ireland's non-participation in any military alliance. Our engagement overseas will continue to be firmly grounded in the principles of the UN Charter and international law.