Combating Firearms Trafficking and other Firearms-Related Offences: Motion Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-17 ============================================================ Jim O'Callaghan (FF), Dublin Bay South There is a significant difference between the two articles. Senator McDowell also referred to the lengthy document. Obviously, he was able to get it. I have it and I assume other Members are able to read the proposal when it comes to an Article 3 opt-in proposal or an Article 4 directive. If that is not the case, they should be informed that there is a substantive document behind it but that is something the Houses could work on to ensure that, when it comes to an opt-in, Senators and Deputies have the legal instrument it is proposed we opt in to or proposed to adopt in due course. That is information readily available but, notwithstanding that, I hear the point Senator McDowell is making. We received legal advice on 27 May on the opt-in procedures. Time limits are imposed on us as well. We have a three-month period. The proposal is published and we then need to get legal advice in respect of it. The legal advice was received on 27 May and we then need time to consider the advice and bring the motion. There is always going to be a tight period if we proceed down the route of an Article 3 opt in but there are benefits to opting in. If we opted in under Article 4, Ireland would not have a vote on the final negotiations. It is to our advantage to have a vote on the final negotiations. Senator McCormack seemed to suggest this was in some respect an undermining of sovereignty. This is Irish sovereignty. This is the House of the Irish Parliament, a House of the Oireachtas. We will be in the Dáil later with this proposal. The elected Members of the Seanad and the Dáil will decide whether we opt into this. There is no diminution or undermining of Irish sovereignty. This is Irish sovereignty and if we do not want to opt into it, we do not have to opt into it. The Senator also sought to compare this to the migration pact. I must remind her that Sinn Féin voted for two of the directives in the European Parliament in the migration pact. It is now the mantra of Sinn Féin when it comes to the migration pact that we need to opt out and Europe is forcing these rules upon us. The UK tried to do the same. The UK decided it would go it alone on migration and now it needs the assistance of the European Union. The only way to resolve issues in terms of irregular or intermitted migration is through a co-ordinated European approach. It is a European-wide and global issue. It requires a European and global response. That is why the British wish to have more co-operation with the EU in respect of it. The migration pact went through the Houses of the Oireachtas and the elected representatives of the people of Ireland decided to vote for it and the elected representatives of both Houses voted for the International Protection Act 2026 on which I spent many days here, and that is democracy in operation. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-17/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:04+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-06-17