It is continuing and most of the member states are part of it. That is the reality. It is continuing to do really important work-----

-----to enforce a UN arms embargo in relation to Libya. By the way, it is also doing very important humanitarian work. That is really important but our people had to leave. We are losing the experience they were gaining on these missions with all of their European colleagues. Their European colleagues are all still out there doing that work today. We are not and that is all the triple lock is about. There is no other country, in the EU or otherwise, that requires the same triple lock we have. This weekend, Dermot A…

It is very clear to anybody who examines the reality of this situation that the triple lock is simply about maintaining our role as peacekeepers. The issue of neutrality is completely different. We are not taking sides with anybody. We enforce the shadow fleet ourselves, by the way, with other countries. Operation Irini continues to do excellent work in accordance with international law. It is enforcing international law in the Mediterranean and doing really important humanitarian work. The circumstances have chang…

The Deputy mentioned Russia, and he became very agitated because this is about Russia. It is about Russia and other countries vetoing proposals at the UN Security Council. Because of that veto power, it was not possible to get a mandate renewed for Operation Irini. In any event, all of the other countries that were enforcing international law and peace and security did not need this mandate. The decision of the Security Council stands.

The statements by Deputy Tóibín about fighting wars are outrageous and without any basis in fact. It is the timeworn theme from those in the opposition to the European Union, completely forgetting about and actually insulting those countries that, after the most devastating war, came together to make peace. This idea that big countries in Europe are going to be making war and we are going to join them-----

It is not true, and the Deputy knows it is not true.

While it is nice to hear a socialist quoting the Fianna Fáil manifesto, and I certainly appreciate the Deputy’s examination of the manifesto-----

The Deputy has not quoted the Constitution, which governs everything we do. The Constitution states at Article 29: 1. Ireland affirms its devotion to the ideal of peace and friendly co-operation amongst nations founded on international justice and morality. 2. Ireland affirms its adherence to the principle of the pacific settlement of international disputes by international arbitration or judicial determination. That is what governs this Government, it governs the Dáil and it governs our military. That is what we d…

We are governed by the Constitution. We are governed by this Parliament. That is all we are trying to do here. Operation Irini continues. That goes on, but our people came home. That is the reality of the triple lock, and it is a reality that is wrong for this country. It is a reality that is wrong for a sovereign country. If there are discussions with the Lebanese Government about future peacekeeping missions there, it is wrong that we would not be involved in them because of the triple lock.

I attended that meeting on behalf of the Minister, Deputy McEntee, in Brussels recently. There was also an informal meeting recently, but the meeting in Brussels was a formal one. It took place against the backdrop of an evolving and increasingly complex security environment. It was a key moment for EU member states to reaffirm their steadfast solidarity with, and support for, Ukraine. There were two main topics on the agenda: EU support to Ukraine and the repercussions of the situation in the Middle East on Europe…

That certainly was mentioned at the meeting of defence ministers, but the meeting was mainly focused on the defence response at the moment. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, at the Foreign Affairs Council and the Taoiseach at the European Council will be discussing that matter in considerable depth this month. There is certainly a lot of discussion about it, but what is important is that we continue to support Ukraine in the meantime. There needs to be peace, but it needs to be a just peace. It needs to be fair to Ukra…

In relation to UNIFIL in particular, there are soldiers in it from all over the world. There were some deaths at the weekend. I pay tribute to them as well. That mission, which is a United Nations-run mission, will end. As far as I can tell, there is no other European Union country that needs a UN mandate to send their troops on peacekeeping missions. I have spoken to Switzerland and its troops can go on other missions, not just UN missions, for example. They deal with their neutrality in a different way from us. T…

What the Senator is saying mixes up two things. Insofar as she is arguing that an investor could bring a claim to the ISDS system instead of the CETA tribunal, this would only be possible subject to the relevant consent requirements, that is, that the parties to the dispute consent to submit to an ISDS mechanism. We would have to consent to that. Let me be 100% clear on that. Regarding Article 8.23 of CETA, what the Senator said is not correct as regards the reference to the ICSID and the UNCITRAL rules in Article …

It is not an ICSID tribunal, for a start. All of the rules around the right to regulate, the right for the state to do what it wishes in relation to public services, housing and all the public good that a state does, are not in any way impacted by this. This is not a return to the old system. It is simply about applying rules within the new system. Everything else we discussed applies within the new, reformed system of the investor courts. It is factually wrong to state that investors have a choice to go to the old…

I am happy to respond.

I welcome that Senator Higgins has moved on from her initial statement, which certainly gave the impression to everybody that there was a workaround of the new system.

There is not a workaround of the new system. The Senator has acknowledged that it is a new system and that there are protections and changes made. We have been clear that this Bill is putting in place a framework based on the new model, which is the basis of all the modern EU trade agreements that have investment protection dispute resolution commitments in them. It is the Government's clear position that this Bill and its order-making power will only apply to the approach in CETA and other similar agreements. We h…

It does.

It was not.

That is an important point. It is not done personally by me.