Simon Harris
Wicklow · Fine Gael · Ireland
“There are more than 10,000 routes and thousands of buses involved and the number of students using the services is not a million miles away from 200,000. The current terms of the scheme are going to continue to apply for the 2026-27 school year.”
“I thank Deputy McDonald for raising what is genuinely an important issue. I do take the point that when we talk about this in the abstract or from a process point of view in here, that for people watching this is their real lived experience.”
“There number of children who have been supported by means of the school transport scheme, as Deputy Fitzmaurice knows and has alluded to, has grown significantly in recent years. Since 2018, the number increased from 120,000 in 2018 to more than 181,000 now. Included in that figure are 24,000 pupils with special educational needs.”
“I knew the Deputy would have to mention the GAA, especially with Galway and Limerick playing at the weekend. I wish everybody involved the best of luck. We are very committed to the school transport scheme. If the Deputy wants to see our commitment, he should look to our budget.”
“An ageing population, increasing healthcare needs, the transition to net zero and the need for continued investment in housing, energy and infrastructure will place a significant demand on public resources.”
“There is also a legitimacy to the point the Deputy made about how it is a legitimate form of transport for some people. We see this working in other European countries. We see it in our nearest neighbours. I do not want to get the regime wrong, but I think they have registration at the point of purchase that allows people to track this.”
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“My officials and I regularly meet these recognised veterans associations, as well as the Association of Retired Commissioned Officers and the Retired Enlisted Members Association, to discuss matters of concern to their members. My Department now has service level agreements with IUNVA and ONE, under which an annual grant is paid to both organisations in order to assist with their administrative overheads. I am pleased these grants increased substantially in 2022, and they have also been increased again this year. As a further means of assistance, since 2021 my Department has been securing dormant accounts funding to assist both organisations with specific projects. The 2025 programme for Government commits to establishing a dedicated office of veterans affairs. It will be based in my Department.”
“I recognise the outstanding contribution made to the State by our ex-service personnel. In this regard, the Defence Forces will be hosting Veterans Day in McKee Barracks on 29 September. I recently visited the Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel, ONE, in Brú na bhFiann in Smithfield and I was very impressed with its facilities and the work it does there. In addition to the payment of over €300 million on pensions to over 13,000 ex-service personnel and their dependants, my Department provides support to two recognised veteran associations. These associations, which represent all former personnel, are the Irish United Nations Veterans Association and ONE.”
“I see an office of veteran affairs as playing a really important role in becoming, effectively, a one-stop shop where our veterans can seek support, co-ordination and information regarding a range of supports. I see a cross-government element to how this works. I refer to an office of veteran affairs that can advocate within the system, across Departments and agencies, on various issues relating to veterans, including health, social protection and housing. I am very conscious that we can learn from other countries on this. I am pleased to say that, in the first instance, we are going to set up a dedicated office for veteran affairs. I want to get that up and running very quickly. It will have to evolve and grow, but it is important that it be established. I will very much work with Deputy Keogh and other Deputies on this.”
“I thank Deputy Keogh for raising this issue. This is an area I want us to do so much better on. There is already good work done in relation to veterans. I am very pleased that my Department provides funding to a number of veteran associations. I have met and visited them. How we support, acknowledge and recognise the role of men and women who served in Óglaigh na hÉireann, at home and abroad, is really important. I fully agree with Deputy Keogh on this. There is a firm commitment in the programme for Government to establish a dedicated office for veteran affairs, and I have instructed my Department to expedite the establishment of this office.”
“One of the decisions this new Government took was the establishment of a national security council, which co-ordinates at a senior level of government – with me, the Taoiseach and one or two other Ministers in key positions, along with the Chief of Staff, the Garda Commissioner and others – on the various issues in relation to our national security. This will be an important step. We have been publishing our national risk assessment for quite a number of years. This takes it to the next level, outlining the specific actions each of our critical entity sectors will take.”
“I agree with that 100%. I fully support swift progress on the programme for Government commitments on this. For far too long, politics here has been prisoner to ideology rather than the obligations we have as a Government and Oireachtas to make sure key services, including the provision of energy, an absolutely vital component, can continue in a whole variety of situations. I assure the House that while we obviously do not discuss these matters in detail, a lot of work goes on in the background on responding to various threats and challenges that our country, or indeed any country, could encounter in relation to contingency planning.”
“The strategy will outline where the strategic objectives are, but it will also outline very clearly, in respect of each sector that is a critical entity, what the priority projects for improvements are. The strategy will be issued under the auspices of the Government task force on emergency planning, which I chair, and will meet the requirements of the regulation. This strategy will build on our established national risk-assessment methodology to meet the requirements of the regulation, including identifying our essential services and establishing a governance framework. I am out of time but I can send the Deputy more information.”
“I thank Deputy Ó Muirí. I agree with everything he said. To state the obvious, it is true that we are all living in a world that is becoming so much more interdependent. That is why it is right that Europe lead on this in demanding that all member states put in place plans but also learn from each other in relation to this. To expand a little more, the strategy will set out our national approach, our strategic objectives and the priorities for the improvement of our resilience across each of the critical entities. I am very proud of how our country endeavours to respond when something goes wrong, but I am also very conscious that we need to do better and, each time, build up a greater level of resilience, preparedness, planning and co-ordination regarding future events.”
“Under step 3, under the transposition, you need to produce a strategy, by 2026. I am pleased to say we are on track to do that.”
“The strategy will lay out the framework for the identification of critical entities in the essential service sectors in the State, and the specific obligations and resilience-enhancement measures required from each of the critical entities. The strategy will also outline a mechanism for information-sharing and developing a collaborative public and private approach to the resilience of the essential services. My Department is currently in consultation with all competent authorities and relevant Departments and agencies for each sector to develop a strategy for the resilience of critical entities, which is to be published in 2026 in line with requirements of the directive. Step 1 was to negotiate the directive and step 2 was to transpose it. We were one of the first countries in Europe to do that.”
“Essentially the purpose of the regulations is to create a framework to ensure that critical entities are able to prevent, resist, absorb and recover from disruptive incidents, whether they are caused by natural hazards, accidents, terrorism, insider threats or public health emergencies. My Department conducted an extensive engagement programme with relevant policy Departments, bilaterally and through the Government task force on emergency planning since 2021. This was done for negotiations on the directive and also the subsequent transposition of the directive into Irish law. Since the transposition last year, engagement has continued in order to develop our resilience of critical entities strategy. This is a key element of the new regulatory framework.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The critical entities resilience, CER, directive is part of the European Union-wide effort to increase the resilience of essential services that provide vital societal functions in all member states of the European Union. My Department has transposed this directive by way of the resilience of critical entities regulations 2024. I am pleased that Ireland was among the first member states to transpose directive on time. The regulations apply to 11 essential services in different sectors of the economy, ranging from the energy and transport sectors through to large-scale food production, processing and distribution.”
“Do Deputies believe there will be, whether through unanimity or not, a veto in respect of Gaza and the two-state solution at the UN Security Council? I do not believe that. What about Ukraine and peacekeeping? There are real issues here that are going to come to the fore in the time ahead. We must have legislation whereby Ireland remains militarily neutral and unaligned, but which also provides some degree of flexibility in the countries and parts of the world to which we deploy peacekeepers to reflect and advance our values.”
“If the Opposition's approach is to say, "No, nay, never, we will not talk to you about it and will just vote you down", that is grand, but it is not the most constructive way to try to engage in the legislation that we have a duty to try to get right. What is going on in Gaza is a genocide. We agree on that point. We were one of the first countries, certainly in Europe, to call it a genocide. The UN independent inquiry now agrees. I often hear from people who support the triple lock that they want Ireland to be able to assist more in Gaza. I have even heard people ask if our military or Air Corps could become involved. None of that can happen under the triple lock. We must try to look at the situation.”
“I take the point about how political commitments translate into primary legislation. It is a fair point. I ask the Deputy to bring forward proposals, as I am sure he will. Let us tease it through. We are going to change the triple lock. That is our proposal as a Government. We are going to bring forward proposals to this House. We have published a general scheme. It has been scrutinised by the Oireachtas committee. Some good ideas have come back from that cross-party committee, on which I am reflecting. There is an openness from me and the Government to further strengthen commitments around the UN Charter. I ask the Deputy to bring forward proposals in that regard.”
“The idea of Ireland becoming a major military power or engaging in military adventurism is at such a remove from the reality. We are spending so little on defence relative to other countries. We are trying to get to a level whereby we can protect our undersea cables and have a better idea of what goes on in our skies. Even when we get to LOA 2 or LOA 3, we are not spending like a military power or any country that wishes to be a military power. That is not what we wish to be at all. We wish to be a country that can keep itself and its people safe, has a better idea of what goes on in our sea and skies and plays a role in peacekeeping. That is what we want to do. I always find it hard to agree with Deputy Murphy, but I agree that this Government will be gone at some point and there will be a new government.”
“I thank the Deputy for reading the manifesto. We made it clear, and I recall making it clear, during the general election, but I appreciate the Deputy reading the manifesto. I closely read the Sinn Féin manifesto. I have quite a few things to say. To Deputy Clendennen's point, we should acknowledge the men and women serving at Camp Shamrock. We all do so, and that is an important point. It has been a difficult period for them because of the region in which they have been serving. They have been dealing with the horrific murder of Private Seán Rooney. We continue to fight for justice and work with his mum, Natasha, in that regard. There has also been all the debate about whether there will be a renewal of the mandate and all the uncertainty of that. Throughout all of that, they have served with distinction. I know that point unites us.”
“We are already involved in training missions, for example, EUMAM, through which we are helping to train Ukrainians. We should also do that for the Lebanese armed forces. Why can we not work with our neighbours, friends and allies on peacekeeping missions without needing Vladimir Putin's permission?”
“If we can have a debate that is focused on what we are trying to achieve, we could, heaven forbid, do a good day's work in this place by productively taking forward an issue that supports the men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann and ensures we can stay true to our values. That phrase, "international law", is also important. We will only participate in anything in line with the principles of the UN Charter and international law. I fully agree with Deputy McGettigan that the Irish people value neutrality; so do I. However, I do not agree that the majority of people wish to see the retention of the triple lock. I have seen no evidence of that. Insofar as one can follow polling, a significant majority of people are open to changes to the triple lock. That is a matter for discussion.”
“I accept the point the Deputy is making on the UN Charter's reference to the UN Security Council. However, I think the principles of the UN Charter matter. I am happy to tease out that legislation. It may suit Members to try to divide us further on this issue but what we are trying to do is a modest proposal. We are trying to produce primary legislation that makes it clear we are only interested in deploying our troops for peacekeeping missions and the other maritime surveillance missions that we already know about. How do we do that in a way that works in a world where the UN Security Council is not functioning as we would wish it to function? That is the debate we are having. We are not having a debate about neutrality, NATO membership or sending our sons or daughters to war, or any of the hyperbole I have heard.”
“It is possible in that scenario that the UN Security Council, because Russia is on it. The Deputy does not know that and I do not know that. However, it is also possible, in answer to Deputy Clendennen's question, that we could see a scenario more broadly - and I am not talking about Ukraine - where EU countries may wish to deploy peacekeepers, where the OSCE may wish to deploy peacekeepers or where there may be regional requests for peacekeeping missions that do not have the support of Russia, China or of the US for economic reasons or whatever else. I do not see what the difficulty with that is because-----”
“To be clear on this Ukraine issue - I never wished to accuse the Deputy of this but there is an effort to be a bit mischievous here - there is no question whatsoever of Irish troops being deployed to a war or playing any role in anything other than peacekeeping. We live on the Continent of Europe and I believe we have an obligation to assist in peacekeeping on our Continent should that situation arise. It is beyond an abstract conversation at the moment because there is no indication at all that Putin wishes to see anything like peace as he continues to invade EU airspace in terms of the drones in Romania and Poland, and indeed continue to terrorise the civilian population. However, if we get to a moment where there is a peace agreement that requires peacekeepers, why would we not consider at that moment deploying our troops?”
“Finally, as I have outlined and I wish to continue to stress, the Government has been clear that it has no desire to alter Ireland’s policy on military neutrality and the amendments proposed will do nothing to change Ireland’s traditional position of military neutrality, which is characterised by Ireland's non-participation in any military alliance. Our engagement overseas will continue to be firmly and exclusively grounded in the principles of the UN Charter and of international law.”
“Concerning the role of the UN General Assembly, the UN Charter unequivocally sets out the primacy of the UN Security Council with regard to all matters relating to international peace and security. While the General Assembly can make recommendations to member states, resolutions of the General Assembly cannot compel action. The charter is clear on that. Ultimately, while the UN General Assembly can make recommendations to member states, under the UN Charter the Security Council alone has the power to take decisions which member states are obliged to implement. In practice, therefore, UN peacekeeping operations are only ever deployed on the basis of mandates from the UN Security Council and overseas deployments to peacekeeping operations involving the Defence Forces has only ever taken place on the basis of that Security Council mandate.”
“I say on the record of the House that I am open to considering whether they need to be tightened further or whether other structures need to be put in place because we owe it to any Irish peacekeepers and want to make sure they are deployed on a peacekeeping mission only in line with UN Charter and in line with international law. That is this country's record of peacekeeping. As I mentioned earlier, it is my intention is to bring this Bill to the Government in the coming months. The speed at which that Bill progresses is a matter for the Oireachtas. I hope to commence discussion on the Bill this year. There will be plenty of time, as there needs to be, to debate the draft legislation in the Dáil and the Seanad, and ample opportunity to scrutinise the proposals at each stage.”
“I recognise, however, that in removing the UN Security Council mandate requirement, alternative safeguards are needed to underpin the future despatch of Defence Forces personnel. I am genuinely up for having a detailed discussion on this when we produce the full Bill and, therefore, in parallel to removing the UN mandate requirement, I have proposed that the governing principles will be included in law and will be underpinned in primary legislation. These have been proposed in the Bill I published. It will require that the mandate of these operations must be consistent with and must adhere to the principles of the UN Charter and international law. These principles are being refined further to ensure appropriate legal effect as part of the drafting process.”
“Under the current proposals in the general ]scheme to amend the existing legislation, the requirement for a UN mandate will be removed. I wish to underline that the legislation in place currently allows members of the UN Security Council, by means of a veto or often a threat of a veto, to bind Ireland's hands in its international engagement. The veto by a UN Security Council member on a proposed resolution for a full and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza on 4 June last is further evidence of this and it is simply untenable for the Government to continue with this policy. I strongly believe therefore that such considerations on international engagement should be within our sovereign control and the decision making within remain the remit of the Government and the Dáil, which have been democratically elected by the people of Ireland.”
“I previously clarified my intentions with regard to the proposed amendments to legislation governing the overseas deployment of the Defence Forces in the proposed defence (amendment) Bill. This was agreed by Cabinet on 4 March this year. As I mentioned, the pre-legislative scrutiny process which provided an Oireachtas all-party committee with the opportunity to examine the Heads of the Bill and to consult directly with stakeholders on the draft heads of the Bill, was completed at the end of July. I thank the committee for its work. My Department is examining the committee’s report on the matter. We will give serious consideration to the recommendations the committee has put forward, some of which are very sensible.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 11, 12, 39 and 55 together. There is a very fair question on this later. The deployment of any troops to Ukraine would have to be in the context of a peace agreement. We are not talking about sending our troops to a warzone or a place where there is an active war. It would only be in the context of a peace agreement. I do not believe we should recuse ourselves from that conversation. Our peacekeepers serve with absolute distinction. I am open to considering their being sent on a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine, if there was peace. However, all the talk about peace is happening while Putin continues his reign of terror. We might return to that in a moment. I thank Deputy Clendennen for his questions.”
“I reference the local bargaining because it is there and focuses all of our minds on prioritising what is next with respect to improving terms and conditions. There will also be successor pay agreements in the not-too-distant future. I am certainly eager to keep in touch with the Deputy, RACO and others in relation to this in the weeks and months ahead.”
“I acknowledge the point the Deputy made. The men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann, those who serve our country and wear the uniform, do absolutely serve with distinction. I am extraordinarily proud of them and the honour they bring here, at home and abroad. I know that is a sense shared across this House and certainly across society as well. I thank RACO and PDFORRA for the advocacy they carry out on behalf of their members and for that good structure we have to engage with them. As I have said, a business case has been prepared on this issue regarding cadets. It has been submitted to the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and there are opportunities to consider these.”
“Parties can bring forward proposals up to a maximum value equivalent to 3% of basic pay, with 1% to be paid from the current agreement, and the balance to be addressed in any successor agreement. There is an opportunity to examine pay and conditions, including cadet pay, through this process. I am pleased that interest in applying for a cadetship remains extremely high, with 1,819 applicants this year alone, and the Permanent Defence Force is currently in the process of making offers to successful candidates. It is anticipated that a class of 80 cadets will be inducted in October. I am also pleased the business case is with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and I will continue to keep the Deputy up to date on that.”
“I can confirm that this matter was raised with the Department by military management and that business case was subsequently shared with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. The Representative Association for Commissioned Officers, RACO, has also raised it with the Department on a number of occasions during its formal conciliation council meetings with the Department. Since the signing of the public service agreement to which members of the Permanent Defence Force are a party, all cost increasing claims can be channelled through the local bargaining process. As I said a moment ago, local bargaining discussions are under way between the Department of Defence, military authorities and the military representative associations.”
“In addition, cadets are provided with accommodation with meals free of charge for the duration of their training, as part of their overall package. The Deputy has referenced the fact that cadets are similarly trained and qualified as three-star privates during the first six months of training, and while I very much appreciate that point made, cadets are required to complete a further period of training of approximately 11 months before they are commissioned and operational. In summary, cadets are not available for duty following their initial six months training and therefore the comparison is not entirely equal. During their training periods, cadets and recruits are not paid the military service allowance. I will come back in a moment.”
“People need to start telling their constituents and get this message out there - it is €45,795, an increase of 49% since 2019. After two years at that rank, they are then promoted and their pay rises to €51,184. Where a graduate joins, the pay rate on commissioning begins at €51,184. These rates all include pensionable military service allowance. In May 2019, a newly qualified three-star private could have expected to earn €27,759 gross per annum on completion of his or her initial training. This has now increased to €41,880. That is €27,000 to €41,000 since 2019. These are big improvements and rightfully so. As the Deputy will be aware, different pay scales also apply during the training period for both cadets and recruits. The current pay scale applicable to cadets ranges from €25,748 to €38,526, depending on qualification.”
“I thank the Deputy as one of the few Members who has worn the uniform and represented our country with distinction in Óglaigh na hÉireann and indeed in southern Lebanon. She is someone who can speak with authority on a lot of these issues. I thank her for raising the matter. She will be aware that there has been significant progress made on pay and conditions for Defence Forces personnel, particularly over the past six years. The starting pay of a school-leaver cadet, on commissioning, was €30,884 in 2019. As of 1 August this year, that same school-leaver cadet, on commissioning to second lieutenant, is paid €45,795, an increase of 49% between now and 2019. These are figures we do not talk about. We talk about recruitment challenges.”
“He proposed it when he was Minister for Defence. I have been crystal clear with regard to it as well. We had an election and formed a government. We do not need to run back to the people to have a referendum on every issue. We are very clear, and I believe the majority of people in this country trust their own democracy and certainly not Russia's as to where our peacekeepers go.”
“It is doing a disservice to the men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann, many of whom I can tell Deputies - and Deputies ask if I speak to them - are absolutely gutted that their peacekeeping mission to Lebanon has been ended, many of which they have served on and their mothers or fathers served on previously. That is coming to an end because of the dysfunctionality of a structure the Deputy wants me to continue with. I am not going to do it. On democracy and mandate and all that, we had a general election. We very clear in my party's manifesto, as was Fianna Fáil, around-----”
“The Deputy was late to my initial remark. I am very happy to have a conversation with Deputies Murphy, Gibney and Ó Laoghaire about how we can strengthen within the legislation references to the UN Charter. I even have some ideas I am happy to discuss with them about how we can oversight mechanisms in making sure anything our peacekeepers go on is consistent with the UN Charter. That is 100%. I value the UN. The UN is a force for good. We value multilaterialism at a time when it is under attack. What I am not going to do is just sit here and suggest that we are going to just allow this to continue until Putin or anybody else changes their mind and says, "Let us reform the UN Security Council".”
“Where are we going to send the peacekeepers if we are reliant on the UN Security Council providing a peacekeeping mission? Where are we going to send Irish peacekeepers, considering it has not supported any peacekeeping missions since 2014 and has now effectively ended-----”
“I know it is the left and the far left but Deputy Gibney is well able to speak for herself and it is her question. Switzerland follows international law very well. Does anybody doubt the neutrality of the Swiss? They do not have a triple lock. Does anybody doubt the neutrality of Austria? They do not have a triple lock. This is trying to whip up a frenzy. I have heard it: "Simon Harris and Micheál Martin want to send our sons and daughters to war." Stop. Stop. It is misleading and it is done to try to do "them and us" as part of the divisive toxicity that people engage in.”
“The world has not become more peaceful. It is utterly dysfunctional how the UN Security Council is operating. Why can we not trust ourselves as a sovereign nation? They do not have this problem in Switzerland. They do not have this problem in Austria. They are militarily neutral.”
“To get to the end of 2026 before withdrawal begins and then to have a full 12 months for the withdrawal to take place is a better outcome, but it is still a bad outcome. It is not what we in Ireland wanted and I do not believe it is what this Dáil wanted, but it is what has happened. I do not mean to be combative but I believe the General Assembly piece misses the point. The reality is the General Assembly can make recommendations but one cannot overlook the role of the UN Security Council. The one time that is referenced was the time the UN Security Council was in agreement with the General Assembly. I am off to the UN for a high level week this weekend. The idea that everything is functioning well really misses the point. The UN Security Council has not been in a position to authorise a new peacekeeping mission since 2014.”
“Firstly, I agree with the Deputy's characterisation of what happened at the UN Security Council, which I believe is accurate. We did work very hard and I particularly commend the French, who held the pen in trying to come up with a compromise solution. There was a real risk that we would have seen a withdrawal of peacekeeping troops in some sort of chaotic manner from southern Lebanon. I was very worried about the safety and security, in that context, of our peacekeepers and the people of Lebanon. There is a new government in place there and a president in place. They have really taken action against Hezbollah. That idea of the international community turning its back on them at such a crucial moment was not something we could countenance.”
“I know that the men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann are proud of serving overseas and I imagine they would rather the democratically elected Government and Parliament of this country decide where they go rather than anybody from any other country.”
“We worked to try to get that into a good place relative to where it could have been, to avoid a cliff edge and the likes, but the reality is that mission will end in 2027. We do not wish it to end in 2027. We wanted it to continue but that is the effect of the UN Security Council veto and structure today. I have consulted with lots of people in relation to this. Obviously with the command structure that works in the Defence Forces it is often difficult to have direct conversations with serving members of the Defence Forces but we do of course talk to their representative bodies on an ongoing basis. The Oireachtas committee heard from them as well and they have made submissions, which are captured in the report that came to me.”
“It is absolutely broken. We can talk in aspirational terms about hoping somebody fixes it one day, or that Russia changes its mind or China changes its mind or the United States of America becomes really interested in UN Security Council reform, but that is not the real world. That is not the world we are operating in. I do not believe that anybody who is not elected in this country should have a say in where any member of Óglaigh na hÉireann goes or does not go, and that is happening now. Men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann will not be able to go to southern Lebanon as a result, in effect, of a decision taken by people outside of this jurisdiction. I wanted them to continue, and I am sure the Deputies did as well, but they cannot.”
“The committee on defence did a good piece of work on pre-legislative scrutiny. I am considering that and I will report to Government shortly in advance of bringing forward the full scheme. I am open to seeing how we can strengthen any legislation to provide reassurances around the role of the UN Charter. It is absolutely our intention that any mission Irish troops go on would be in keeping with the UN Charter, but that is different from us saying it must be in keeping with a UN Security Council resolution. I am certainly eager to see how we can explore that. I think Irish people are rightly proud of the role that members of the Defence Forces have played in peacekeeping missions right across the world. It is a record that dates back many decades and which has remained unbroken. The current triple lock system is broken, however.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 and 5 together. I agree with Deputy Gibney that it is absolutely the Government's intention to bring about a change in terms of how we deploy our troops overseas. I am quite clear on that. Where we disagree is how we see that. I see it as entirely possible to do that while respecting being a militarily neutral country. I have spoken to many of my counterparts in countries that are militarily neutral, none of which have a triple lock in place. We have recently seen what can happen at a UN Security Council with a peacekeeping mission that has been extraordinarily successful in Lebanon and yet one permanent member of the Security Council can decide that all of a sudden it does not want it to continue. At the outset I must say that I want to be collaborative on this.”
“There are then opportunities, both in the context of the budget and the capital plan which I have referenced, but also the local bargaining provisions that are available under the public sector pay agreements, to consider some of those specialist issues referenced by the Deputy in terms of various allowances that can be considered.”