I must say that I regret that I cannot just follow the reasons advanced against the amendment. I believe that the Government can only raise a Defence Force when authorised by law. This section authorises the Government to raise a Defence Force. Obviously there must be a limitation in the numbers that they can raise and that limitation is provided for in the Estimates each year. There is more in the Estimates than simply the amount of money. The Estimates specifically provide the number of generals, the number of colonels, the number of captains and the number of sergeants and corporals. That is always provided and it gives a bulk figure then of 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12, whatever the number of thousands may be. The Estimates that are mentioned in my amendment are not the annual Estimates; they are the Estimates and Supplementary Estimates for the Department of Defence passed by Dáil Éireann for the year. It does not matter whether it is passed in the main or passed as a Supplementary Estimate—it is the Estimate for the year.
I believe that it is vital that the Government should not be authorised to raise a Defence Force larger than that provided specifically by law. I think that is a constitutional requirement and Section 16 places no limitation at all on the size of the force that may be raised by the Government. I think that the number of the force that can be raised by the Government must be limited by the Estimates passed annually or passed from time to time for the Department of Defence. I think there are two views of the Committee. The first view is that the Government can raise any size of force it likes under that provision. I think there should be a specific limitation to the numbers specifically provided for in the Estimates for the year by the Dáil.