SF
2024-06-12 · Dail
Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages
It is not. The Bill refers to a "matter of Government policy".
On prevailing side: this member voted with the winning side in 55 of 1,100 decisive votes (16 abstentions excluded). Read it as a government-or-opposition indicator rather than a measure of influence — the figure is near 100% for members supporting the government of the day and near 0% for those opposing it.
This is the point of the site: contributions keep the party held on the day, not the one held now.
| Party | Recorded as | Contributions | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| SF | Sinn Féin | 596 | 2020-05-13 – 2026-09-24 |
Membership spells on record: SF 2020-02-08–2024-11-08 · SF 2024-11-29–present
It is not. The Bill refers to a "matter of Government policy".
It does not only refer to those in uniform.
We are not.
Not everybody is in uniform.
This is Ireland. There are only three degrees of separation, if that, between any of us in this country. In communities where members of the Defence Forces live, everybody knows they are members of the Defence Forces. Government policy may result in an increase in the price of petrol. When they are filling their cars they may comment on the cost of living and the increase in the price of petrol. That is a matter of Government policy. The Tánaiste has already said this is not necessary. He is taking a sledgehammer t…
They would never do that. Why did the Tánaiste even mention it? No member of the Defence Forces would do that and risk the lives of their comrades serving in a peacekeeping capacity abroad. I ask the Tánaiste to delete "matter of Government policy". It is insulting to try to silence members of the Defence Forces. As for mentioning attending a protest on Gaza in uniform, come off it.
Yes.
Or making themselves identifiable.
You are. That is what you are actually saying.
It already is.
I move amendment No. 3: In page 9, line 11, to delete “or matter of Government policy”.
I move amendment No. 5: In page 9, line 13, to delete “or matter of Government policy”.
I move amendment No. 6: In page 14, line 33, to delete "and" where it secondly occurs and substitute the following: "(c) the Secretaries General of those military representative associations authorised by the Minister as per subsection (3A) of the Defence (Amendment) Act 1990 (inserted by section 23(a)(iii) of the Defence (Amendment) Act 2024 ) who shall be ex officio members, and". This amendment relates to the external oversight body and its establishment. The meeting we had with the members of the oversight body…
Oh, God.
Well talk to them then and stop grumbling about them.
I will pass it over for the moment.
I will let the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach know in a second.
If the Tánaiste is upset about what was said in the Seanad and he wants to give them a scolding-----
-----maybe he should go into the Seanad and do that, but nobody here has been disrespectful about the external oversight board. We had a really good meeting with them at committee. It was positive. I have every faith in Professor Brian MacCraith and the other members of the-----
The Tánaiste was saying to accept the recommendations of the IRG. What I took from what the Tánaiste said there was that he felt that - I am talking about amendment No. 6, which I tabled - having representatives from the Defence Forces representative groups on the EOB in an ex officio capacity would be as if the external oversight group would not be able to handle that. We had a great meeting with them. If the Tánaiste wants the Secretary General on it to work in an ex officio capacity, it comes across as a bit of …