Joint Committee on Defence and National Security meets to continue Pre-legislative Scrutiny of a General Scheme of the Defence Amendment Bill 2025

The Committee will hear from:

·        Professor Ray Murphy, University of Galway

·        Professor John Maguire, University College Cork 

·        Dr. Karen Devine, Academic, Dublin City University

Speaking ahead of the meeting Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh TD said “We continue our Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Defence Amendment Bill with representatives from the University of Galway, UCC and DCU tomorrow. 

“We understand the importance of this hugely significant legislation and want to ensure all aspects of the bill are scrutinised in an open, thorough and transparent manner.

“Among the key aspects that we are looking at in our scrutiny is the removal of the triple lock requirement, allowing for overseas Defence Force deployments without the need for a UN mandate, government approval, or Dáil approval under certain circumstances.

“The academic representatives attending our meeting tomorrow have carried out extensive research on how neutrality is part of Ireland’s value system. We will look to their expertise to inform our final Pre-legislative Scrutiny report.”

The Committee meeting can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV. 

Read more on the work done by the Joint Committee on Defence and National Security

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.