Vol. 193 No. 2
asked the Minister for Defence whether his attention has been drawn to a report that proper State and Army representation was not provided at the funerals in this country of Irish soldiers killed in the Congo; whether the position is as stated; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
112.
asked the Minister for Defence whether there are any standing instructions in regard to State and Army representation at funerals in this country of Irish personnel killed in the Congo; and if he will state their nature.
With your permission a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions 111 and 112 together.
I have read the report to which the Deputy refers and I regard it as ill-founded and misleading. There are no standing instructions regarding State and Army representation at the funerals of members of the Defence Forces who lost their lives in the Congo. In every case but one the Government and the Defence Forces were represented by the attendance in person of Ministers and senior officers of the Defence Forces. In the one case referred to, circumstances, over which Ministers and officers had no control, prevented their attendance in person.
