Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 May 2017
50. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the procedures in place to ensure that US military aircraft landing at Shannon Airport comply with conditions related to permission to land; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25948/17]
View answerCould the Minister clarify what procedures are in place to ensure that US military aircraft landing in Shannon are complying with the conditions set out regarding permission to land? Given previous responses from the Minister and the Department that these conditions are rigorously enforced, that there are robust procedures in place and that the conditions include that the aircraft must be unarmed, carry no arms, ammunition or explosives and not engage in intelligence gathering, and that the flights concerned do not form part of a military exercise or operation, can the Minister clarify what procedures are in place to ensure that?
The Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order 1952, made under the Air Navigation and Transport Act 1946, gives the Minister for Foreign Affairs primary responsibility for the regulation of activity by foreign military aircraft in Ireland.
Successive Governments have made landing facilities available at Shannon Airport to the United States for well over a period of 50 years now. These arrangements are governed by strict conditions, including that the aircraft must be unarmed, carry no arms, ammunition or explosives, that they do not engage in intelligence gathering and that the flights concerned do not form part of military exercises or operations. These conditions apply equally to military aircraft from all countries seeking to land in Shannon. The US, as with all other states, is required to provide my Department with confirmation in writing that the aircraft proposing to land in Shannon comply with the strict conditions as set out and as I have mentioned.
Thorough and robust procedures are in place in my Department with a view towards ensuring that the conditions for securing permission for foreign military aircraft to overfly or land in the State are clearly understood and properly applied now and into the future. These procedures are kept under ongoing review. Comprehensive records on requests received and decisions made are retained for the purposes of monitoring and oversight and are drawn on as needed to provide information to this House as appropriate.
The Minister is telling us that he is relying on assurances given, and he has given a history regarding the legislation and the orders. My question asks him to specify the robust procedures that are in place to ensure that the conditions are met. Telling me that a letter of request and a reply is the same as a robust procedure is simply not acceptable. We, as a neutral country, are now complicit in wars in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and so on. The death rate is appalling. If we look at Yemen alone, where a military raid was ordered by President Trump over dinner, 23 civilians were killed in that raid, including ten children aged 12 and under, an 80 year old man and several women. That was called a win by President Trump, although his senior officials have since confirmed that it was a mistake and that it was wrong. In Yemen, 19 million of the total 28 million population are in need of humanitarian aid, and one child under five dies every ten minutes from preventable diseases. We are complicit in that war and in this slaughter. I again put that simple question to the Minister. If his answer is that we are relying on assurances, I will take that but I ask him please to spell it out for me.
I reject what the Deputy has said about our military neutrality. The practical implementation of the conditions for granting permission for landings is guided by and reflects Ireland's traditional policy of military neutrality, to which the Government remains fully committed. The statement of foreign policy entitled "A Global Island" approved by the Government in January 2015 clearly states that our policy of military neutrality remains a core element of Irish foreign policy. This policy goes hand in hand with our belief that international engagement is critical to enhance co-operation and to reduce conflict in the world.
I assure the House and the Deputy that prior permission is required for all foreign military aircraft to land at Irish airports and permission, if granted, is subject to strict conditions. In accordance, with international practice, foreign military aircraft which are granted permission to land in Ireland are not subject to inspection. Sovereign immunity, a long-standing principle of customary international law, means that a state may not exercise its jurisdiction in respect of another state and its property, including state or military aircraft. This principle applies automatically to foreign state or military aircraft in the same way as it applies to Irish State or military aircraft abroad. This is not a specific issue in regard to the United States; this is in regard to all foreign military aircraft landing at Irish airports.
It is specifically in regard to America because international law has gone out the window with the election of President Trump. Prior to that, there were also the most serious breaches under the previous regime. The Minister is telling me that he is relying on reassurances. The lack of evidence has been raised in various court cases and those brave people who protest on a regular basis have been told to go and collect evidence. The word "protest" is wrong; rather they highlight and raise awareness about what is happening down in Shannon.
More than 3 million American troops have gone through Shannon based on reassurances from them that they are carrying no arms. They are going through Shannon to refuel in order to wage war in countries that are innumerable at this point and the loss of life is appalling. We have a duty to live up to our neutrality and the Minister is simply not doing that and neither is the Government.
I do not accept that. In considering requests for landings by foreign military aircraft, my Department's focus is on ensuring that the information provided with regard to flights and aircraft demonstrates that they comply with the conditions as applicable. Matters such as the times at which landings take place are operational ones for the pilot or pilots in consultation with the airport in question. They do not affect the decision on whether the aircraft meets the strictest conditions which the Department has laid down. Officials in my Department are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to process any requests received and to maintain ongoing contact with embassies, particularly from those from which, by reason of geography, we receive the most applications.
I wish to assure the House again that Ireland's traditional and longstanding policy of military neutrality, which I am pleased is the stated policy of all parties in the House, is in no way adversely affected or threatened. The practical implementation of the conditions reflects Ireland's traditional policy of military neutrality. The Government firmly remains committed to that policy.
