Sinn Féin does not.

That is daft. Deputy Howlin knows it too.

That is disingenuous.

Deputy Crowe should keep going.

You cannot refer countries.

Sorry? I apologise.

Frank Aiken was from Fianna Fáil and in favour of neutrality.

The Deputy should get real. He should not be lecturing us on it.

Chris Andrews is on that side of the House.

There has been action.

The military authorities have provided me with a table showing the estimated number of personnel who will be required to retire on age grounds from next year up to 2028, if they serve their full contract term. It should be noted that many personnel leave the Defence Forces before reaching mandatory retirement age. The table outlining projected mandatory retirement figures, which should be read bearing in mind this caveat, will be provided to the Deputy. Similarly, in regard to recruitment, induction numbers fluctua…

I gave that figure, which is net 400.

The Deputy asked for the figure and I have given it in my reply. We are, of course, conscious of a recruitment and retention issue within the Defence Forces. I identified a long list of measures we have taken to improve allowances and improve the situation overall for members of our Defence Forces in order to attract new members and encourage retention. There are issues around recruitment processes, which is why we have enlisted and taken on board external advice. A significant number of people apply to join the De…

As the Deputy knows, I was not Minister for Defence this time last year, nor was he his party's spokesperson on defence. There are a number of factors at play, of which the buoyant employment market is a key one. We have been close to full employment over the past two years. There is significant evidence that private industry has recruited a lot of our naval personnel and other staff from other agencies. It is an employees' market and has been for the past two to three years. Notwithstanding that, we have significa…

The Deputy will be aware that Ireland has been to the fore. If one travels the Arab world there is huge respect for the stance Ireland has taken and the principled stand we have taken in respect of the Middle East over a long period of time. That was certainly the case in Egypt when I was there last week and with the Palestinian Authority when I met it in Ramallah last week, and when I met with it two months ago when I visited the region. This is in the context of our adherence to UN resolutions around the occupati…

The Deputy has deliberately ignored my answer and is being disingenuous because, as he is aware, trade policy and market access are largely European Union competencies. In the absence of a general trade embargo of Israel, which there is not-----

That is the Deputy's view, but I am saying that there is not such an embargo across Europe. The Department of Defence cannot unilaterally preclude Israeli companies from participating in tender competitions for military or any other type of goods, under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, GATT, and EU procurement law requirements. Under GATT and EU procurement law requirements, the Department of Defence is required, whether we like it or not, to deal impartially with all companies that are entitled to enter…

It is not.

I do not believe the Deputy should try to characterise me wrongly as he just has-----

I am very clear that I want the war in Gaza to end now. Ireland was one of the countries to come out early to call for a humanitarian ceasefire. We voted for the Arab resolution at the United Nations. When we met the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah it thanked us and appreciated the principled stand that Ireland takes in relation to these issues, and has taken.