Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 June 2023
100. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence his views on how the role of the Irish Defence Forces would change if the Triple Lock were to be altered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29555/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe so-called “Triple Lock” mechanism, which sets out the requirements for the deployment of more than 12 members of the Defence Forces for peacekeeping operations overseas, is set down in legislation, in particular the Defence (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1960 and the Defence (Amendment) Act 2006, as amended.
The legislation provides that:
• the operation must be mandated by the United Nations;
• it must be approved by the Government; and
• it must be approved by way of a resolution of Dáil Éireann (with certain limited exceptions as outlined below).
The Defence Acts require that the peacekeeping operation be one that is mandated by the United Nations, which in almost all cases means approval of a given resolution by the UN Security Council. These resolutions also provide endorsement at UN level for peacekeeping and conflict-prevention operations led by regional organisations, such as military missions under EU CSDP.
Any modification to the triple lock requirements for peacekeeping operations overseas, where the Irish Government can deploy DF personnel, would require a change in primary legislation to remove the requirement for the operation to be mandated by the United Nations.
The five permanent members of the Council may exercise their veto to prevent the Security Council from taking decisions, including those related to the mandates of peacekeeping operations. In practice, the threat of a veto by a permanent member, rather than its actual use, is often enough to prevent the Council from taking action. Indeed, no new peacekeeping missions have been approved by the UN Security Council since 2014.
When the possibility of a veto emerged last year in relation to the renewal of UN authorisation for EUFOR Operation Althea, Ireland as a member of the UNSC at the time, was in a position to play a key role in securing the renewal of the UN mandate for this EU led Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where five members of the Defence Forces are currently deployed.
In 1999, our Defence Forces were unable to participate in a peacekeeping mission when a permanent member of the UN Security Council vetoed the renewal of the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP). Because the subsequent European Union peace operation in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYROM/CONCORDIA) did not have a UNSC mandate, Ireland was unable to participate in that mission.
My own view is that, in the context of an international security environment which has been fundamentally altered by the illegal and brutal full scale invasion of Ukraine by a permanent member of the UN Security Council is that we need an open discussion on both the merits and the limitations of the Triple Lock.
I am concerned that any decision about where Irish Defence Forces personnel should be deployed overseas should be a sovereign decision of the Irish Government and, where appropriate, the Dáil. It should not in my view be a decision over which a third country has an effective veto, as is effectively the situation with any permanent members of the UN Security Council.
However, I respect that there are varying views on this issue and my hope is that the Consultative Forum on International Security Policy set to commence this week, will be an opportunity to examine such matters as the increasing use of the veto and the implications for the triple lock.
