Michael Cahill
Question:44. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Defence to protect Irish neutrality by preserving the triple lock (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38141/26]
View answerWednesday, 20 May 2026
Questions (44)
Written answers
The purpose of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2026 is to consolidate, with amendments, the existing provisions of the Defence Acts 1954 to 2015 concerning the despatch of members of the Defence Forces for service outside the State. In effect, the requirement for a UN mandate will be removed. It will modify the existing requirement regarding the so-called ‘triple lock’ mechanism in relation to the despatch of the Defence Forces for service outside the State as part of an International United Nations Force.
It is important to note that the Bill also amends the Defence Act 1954 to provide for the suspension of members of the Defence Forces so as to give effect to recommendations in the 2024 'Ward report' on the management of members of the Defence Forces charged with, or convicted of, serious criminal offences.
There has been extensive engagement between my Department and the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel in relation to the drafting of the Bill, and I intend to bring the Bill to government for approval shortly.
Under the proposals in the Bill, the requirement for a UN Security Council mandate will be removed. I again wish to underline that the legislation that is currently in place allows members of the UN Security Council, by means of a veto or indeed threat of same, to bind this country's hands in its international peacekeeping engagement. Recent vetoes by a UN Security Council member on a proposed resolution for a full and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza last June and September, as well as the challenges evidenced last summer with regard to the extension of the UNIFIL peacekeeping in southern Lebanon, as well as ongoing issues regarding UN mandated missions in the Western Balkans, are ample evidence of this.
With regard to the UNIFIL mission particularly, in the event that the UNIFIL mandate was not extended, Ireland would have been in the position of having to plan to withdraw its Defence Forces personnel from UNIFIL immediately following the expiration of the mandate. The extension of the UNIFIL mandate until the end of this year permits the continued deployment of Defence Forces personnel to the Mission, however, under the current legislative requirements, they must be withdrawn from then.
I am also keeping a very close eye on the UN mandate for the EU Mission Operation IRINI in the Mediterranean, which will expire on 24th May. Should that mandate not be renewed, we will have to withdraw our personnel from that Mission immediately.
I have been very clear therefore that it is untenable to continue with the current policy. Any considerations on engagement in international peacekeeping should be within Ireland's exclusive sovereign control and decision-making on this should be purely within the remit of the Government and Oireachtas, which have been democratically elected by the people of this country.
I do recognise, however, that in removing the UN Security Council mandate requirement, there will be a need to strengthen the democratic oversight governing the ongoing deployment of Defence Forces personnel overseas. Therefore, in parallel to removing the UN mandate requirement, text is included in this Bill which will require that the mandate of future operations be consistent with, and adhere to, the principles of the UN Charter and international law. These principles have been refined to ensure appropriate legal effect.
Once again, I wish to make it absolutely clear that the Government has no desire to alter our policy of military neutrality. The amendments proposed will do nothing to change Ireland's traditional position of military neutrality, which has always been characterised by Ireland's non-participation in military alliances. Our engagement overseas will continue to be firmly grounded in the principles of the UN Charter and international law and will, of course, require the consent of the democratically elected representatives of the people of Ireland.