Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2024-07-03
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Joe O'Reilly (FG), Labour Panel

I agree with the Tánaiste's fundamental proposition. Most members of the Defences Forces and society in general would agree that we should have non-political Defence Forces, in the sense of non-party political and non-politically active. I ask the Tánaiste to respond further to Senator Wilson's point and the points made by Senators Craughwell and Wall and to assure us that members of the Defence Forces, in a lay or private capacity, can be members of community organisations, school bodies, local pressure groups working to improve their communities and so on and can be active in their communities. I also ask him to reassure us on the point that they can come with their community organisations to a given Minister and make a representation. If that is so, then the fundamental purpose and objective of the Bill is correct. We want non-party-political and non-political Defence Forces and gardaí. Both have served this State very well.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2024-07-03/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:53:09+00:00
Sitting date: 2024-07-03