Neutrality and the Triple Lock: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]

The following motion was moved by Deputy Bríd Smith on Wednesday, 29 May 2024:

That Dáil Éireann:

notes that:

— the Tánaiste, Micheál Martin TD said in 2013 that the triple lock was at the core of our neutrality and described the attempt to undermine it as "an out-of-touch ideological obsession on the part of Fine Gael";

— Fianna Fáil's 2020 general election manifesto states that Ireland will "Fully maintain neutrality and the Triple Lock ... Fianna Fáil reaffirms its commitment to the retention of the triple lock of UN mandate or authorisation, Government and Dáil approval, prior to committing Defence Forces personnel on overseas service", and it concludes "We will fully maintain neutrality and the triple lock mechanism";

— the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future states the Government will "ensure that all overseas operations will be conducted in line with our position of military neutrality and will be subject to a triple lock of UN, Government and Dáil Éireann approval";

— in April 2022, the then Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Simon Coveney TD, said about a possible change to the triple lock "I have yet to see an example of where Ireland has been prevented from sending troops to a part of the world where it wants to make a peace-keeping intervention in the Mediterranean, Mali or elsewhere";

— in November 2022, Minister Eamon Ryan said "I think the current system supports our country well. I think our position as a neutral country in the world actually gives us greater strength. I think the triple lock doesn't stop us engaging where we do have to engage";

— none of the Government parties, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael or the Green Party, campaigned at the last General Election to end neutrality or the triple lock, and therefore they have no mandate for any such policies;

— the Government continues to edge us closer to a military alliance and European Union (EU) militarisation project that includes NATO, the United States (US), Germany and Britain, the countries that are arming a genocide in Gaza and which continue to sustain Israel's ability to commit the most horrific crimes;

— the National Consultative Forum on International Security Policy was designed to manipulate public opinion towards further undermining Irish neutrality by moving us closer to NATO;

— a large majority of the public continues to support neutrality despite intense pressure from establishment politicians to support militarisation;

— some Western political leaders are promoting militarisation and preparations for war, with the Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, having claimed that we are in a pre-war era, Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, said "We are preparing for war with Russia" and the French President, Emmanuel Macron believes that NATO should be sending troops into Ukraine;

— global military spending is increasing rapidly, and according to NATO its members increased military spending sharply in 2023 to $1.34 trillion and 11 NATO members now spend 2 per cent or more of their GDP on their military, also, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Europe increased military spending by 16 per cent in 2023 to €552 billion and NATO countries accounted for 55 per cent of global military spending in 2023, far out-spending any other nation or bloc in the world; and

— this military spending means vast numbers of badly needed homes, schools and hospitals are foregone to fund warfare;

further notes that:

— Ireland's declaration to the Treaty of Nice, submitted as part of ratifying it, states that "the participation of contingents of the Irish Defence Forces in overseas operations, including those carried out under the European security and defence policy, requires (a) the authorisation of the operation by the Security Council or the General Assembly of the United Nations, (b) the agreement of the Irish Government and (c) the approval of Dáil Éireann, in accordance with Irish law";

— the triple lock is the only legal provision that meant that a government that effectively supported the US in its invasion of Iraq, by facilitating the invasion of Iraq through its use of Shannon Airport, could not legally send ordinary Irish soldiers to go, fight and die in a war for oil and profit in the Middle East on behalf of the US;

— prevented by the triple lock from participating in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Fianna Fáil instead allowed US warplanes to refuel at Shannon and started a process whereby Shannon became a de facto forward operating base for the US military, so that more than 3 million troops have passed through Shannon over the past 21 years;

— under the United Nations (UN) Charter, there are two legal ways the Government can send troops abroad;

— self-defence, which is provided for under Bunreacht na hÉireann and in which situation there is no need for the triple lock to be activated; and

— peacekeeping authorised by the UN Security Council, therefore anything within the UN Charter comes within the triple lock; and

— if the triple lock is removed, it will be EU-led missions without UN approval, that is, outside of international law, and US or NATO-led missions, opening the prospects of Ireland's participation in such disastrous wars as those in Iraq and Afghanistan; and

calls on the Government to:

— withdraw plans for legislation to end the triple lock;

— commit to a referendum on enshrining neutrality in the Constitution; and

— end the use of Shannon Airport by the US military.

Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:

"notes that:

— Ireland's policy of military neutrality is characterised by non-membership of military alliances, or common or mutual defence arrangements, and this policy choice has been practised by successive Governments since the Second World War;

— the Government reaffirms its commitment to this policy and reiterates that it has no plans to either join a military alliance or enter into a mutual defence arrangement; and

— the Government does not believe a referendum enshrining neutrality in the Constitution of Ireland is either necessary or appropriate;

recognises that:

— Russia's brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine, blatantly violating the United Nations (UN) Charter and international law, has fundamentally changed the geopolitical and security landscape in Europe;

— in its wake, countries all over Europe have examined their foreign, security and defence policies;

— in common with other partners in Europe, Ireland therefore finds itself in an increasingly contested, dynamic and volatile international security environment, marked by violence and conflict in our immediate neighbourhood, including in the Middle East and Africa; and

— as a highly globalised country, Ireland cannot rely on our geographic isolation for our security, nor isolate ourselves from world events;

acknowledges that:

— the Government convened a Consultative Forum on International Security Policy from 22nd – 26th June, 2023, with a view to building public understanding and generating discussions on Ireland's foreign, security and defence policies;

— the Government remains committed to taking forward a number of actions in follow up to last year's Consultative Forum on International Security Policy, focusing in particular on opportunities for multilateral and international engagement and steps to tackle new and emerging threats, including through engagement at the UN, European Union (EU), and the NATO Partnership for Peace programme;

— Ireland has a long tradition of international engagement, including through participation in UN and UN-mandated, EU-led, and NATO-led peacekeeping missions and, in this context, the Government has approved the drafting of legislation which will govern the future deployment of the Irish Defence Forces as part of an international peacekeeping or crisis management operation;

— this legislation will reinforce our ability to pursue an independent foreign policy by removing the power of UN Security Council permanent members to veto our national sovereign decisions regarding our participation in peacekeeping missions, and will also allow for the deployment of Defence Forces personnel overseas in roles such as the crisis management evacuation of Irish citizens; and

— Ireland will also continue to support a strong EU role in the maintenance of international peace and security and will engage actively in the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy, including through the EU's Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO); and

further notes that:

— under the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Orders 1973 and 1989, it is expressly prohibited for civil aircraft to carry munitions of war in Ireland without an exemption to do so by the Minister for Transport, and the process for the granting of such exemptions is robust and includes advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs in respect of international humanitarian law and Ireland's international obligations; and

— under the terms of the Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order, 1952, all foreign military aircraft wishing to overfly, or land in, the State require diplomatic clearance from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and this is subject to strict conditions, including that the aircraft is unarmed, carries no arms, ammunition or explosives, does not engage in intelligence gathering, and that it does not form part of a military exercise or operation.".

- (Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Sean Fleming)

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the motion on neutrality and the triple lock, which took place on Wednesday, 29 May 2024. On the question, "That the amendment be made", a division was claimed, and in accordance with Standing Order 80(2), that division must be taken now.

Amendment put:

The Dáil divided: Tá, 68; Níl, 45; Staon, 3.

Tá

Brophy, Colm.
Browne, James.
Bruton, Richard.
Butler, Mary.
Byrne, Thomas.
Cahill, Jackie.
Calleary, Dara.
Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
Chambers, Jack.
Collins, Niall.
Costello, Patrick.
Creed, Michael.
Devlin, Cormac.
Dillon, Alan.
Donnelly, Stephen.
Donohoe, Paschal.
Duffy, Francis Noel.
Durkan, Bernard J.
English, Damien.
Farrell, Alan.
Feighan, Frankie.
Flaherty, Joe.
Flanagan, Charles.
Fleming, Sean.
Foley, Norma.
Griffin, Brendan.
Harris, Simon.
Haughey, Seán.
Heydon, Martin.
Higgins, Emer.
Kehoe, Paul.
Lahart, John.
Lawless, James.
Leddin, Brian.
Madigan, Josepha.
Martin, Catherine.
Matthews, Steven.
McAuliffe, Paul.
McConalogue, Charlie.
McEntee, Helen.
McGrath, Michael.
McHugh, Joe.
Moynihan, Aindrias.
Moynihan, Michael.
Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
Naughton, Hildegarde.
Noonan, Malcolm.
O'Brien, Darragh.
O'Brien, Joe.
O'Callaghan, Jim.
O'Connor, James.
O'Dea, Willie.
O'Donovan, Patrick.
O'Dowd, Fergus.
O'Gorman, Roderic.
O'Sullivan, Christopher.
O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
Ó Cuív, Éamon.
Phelan, John Paul.
Rabbitte, Anne.
Richmond, Neale.
Ring, Michael.
Ryan, Eamon.
Smith, Brendan.
Smyth, Niamh.
Stanton, David.
Troy, Robert.

Níl

Boyd Barrett, Richard.
Brady, John.
Browne, Martin.
Buckley, Pat.
Cairns, Holly.
Canney, Seán.
Clarke, Sorca.
Conway-Walsh, Rose.
Cronin, Réada.
Crowe, Seán.
Cullinane, David.
Ellis, Dessie.
Farrell, Mairéad.
Gannon, Gary.
Gould, Thomas.
Guirke, Johnny.
Howlin, Brendan.
Kelly, Alan.
Kenny, Gino.
Kenny, Martin.
Kerrane, Claire.
Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
Mitchell, Denise.
Munster, Imelda.
Murphy, Catherine.
Murphy, Paul.
Mythen, Johnny.
Nash, Ged.
Nolan, Carol.
O'Callaghan, Cian.
O'Donoghue, Richard.
O'Reilly, Louise.
O'Rourke, Darren.
Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
Pringle, Thomas.
Ryan, Patricia.
Shortall, Róisín.
Smith, Bríd.
Smith, Duncan.
Stanley, Brian.
Tully, Pauline.
Ward, Mark.
Whitmore, Jennifer.

Staon

Berry, Cathal.
Naughten, Denis.
Shanahan, Matt.

Tellers: Tá, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin; Níl, Deputies Bríd Smith and Paul Murphy.

Amendment declared carried.

Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."

The Dáil divided: Tá, 68; Níl, 44; Staon, 3.

Tá

Brophy, Colm.
Browne, James.
Bruton, Richard.
Butler, Mary.
Byrne, Thomas.
Cahill, Jackie.
Calleary, Dara.
Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
Chambers, Jack.
Collins, Niall.
Costello, Patrick.
Creed, Michael.
Devlin, Cormac.
Dillon, Alan.
Donnelly, Stephen.
Donohoe, Paschal.
Duffy, Francis Noel.
Durkan, Bernard J.
English, Damien.
Farrell, Alan.
Feighan, Frankie.
Flaherty, Joe.
Flanagan, Charles.
Fleming, Sean.
Foley, Norma.
Griffin, Brendan.
Harris, Simon.
Haughey, Seán.
Heydon, Martin.
Higgins, Emer.
Kehoe, Paul.
Lahart, John.
Lawless, James.
Leddin, Brian.
Madigan, Josepha.
Martin, Catherine.
Matthews, Steven.
McAuliffe, Paul.
McConalogue, Charlie.
McEntee, Helen.
McGrath, Michael.
McHugh, Joe.
Moynihan, Aindrias.
Moynihan, Michael.
Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
Naughton, Hildegarde.
Noonan, Malcolm.
O'Brien, Darragh.
O'Brien, Joe.
O'Callaghan, Jim.
O'Connor, James.
O'Dea, Willie.
O'Donovan, Patrick.
O'Dowd, Fergus.
O'Gorman, Roderic.
O'Sullivan, Christopher.
O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
Ó Cuív, Éamon.
Phelan, John Paul.
Rabbitte, Anne.
Richmond, Neale.
Ring, Michael.
Ryan, Eamon.
Smith, Brendan.
Smyth, Niamh.
Stanton, David.
Troy, Robert.

Níl

Boyd Barrett, Richard.
Brady, John.
Browne, Martin.
Buckley, Pat.
Cairns, Holly.
Canney, Seán.
Clarke, Sorca.
Conway-Walsh, Rose.
Cronin, Réada.
Crowe, Seán.
Cullinane, David.
Ellis, Dessie.
Farrell, Mairéad.
Gannon, Gary.
Guirke, Johnny.
Howlin, Brendan.
Kelly, Alan.
Kenny, Gino.
Kenny, Martin.
Kerrane, Claire.
Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
Mitchell, Denise.
Munster, Imelda.
Murphy, Catherine.
Murphy, Paul.
Mythen, Johnny.
Nash, Ged.
Nolan, Carol.
O'Callaghan, Cian.
O'Donoghue, Richard.
O'Reilly, Louise.
O'Rourke, Darren.
Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
Pringle, Thomas.
Ryan, Patricia.
Shortall, Róisín.
Smith, Bríd.
Smith, Duncan.
Stanley, Brian.
Tully, Pauline.
Ward, Mark.
Whitmore, Jennifer.

Staon

Berry, Cathal.
Naughten, Denis.
Shanahan, Matt.

Tellers: Tá, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin; Níl, Deputies Richard Boyd Barrett and Bríd Smith.

Question declared carried.

Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 7.55 p.m. go dtí 9 a.m., Déardaoin, an 30 Bealtaine 2024.

The Dáil adjourned at 7.55 p.m. until 9 a.m. on Thursday, 30 May 2024.

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht - Wednesday, 29 May 2024