Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

3. To ask the Minister for Defence the position regarding the activities of the Irish Army patrol at Shannon Airport overnight on 24 April in the presence of a US Hercules C130, in view of the fact that this aircraft has been fitted with extra fuel tanks associated with special missions and was twice present in Shannon in March. [20208/14]

Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

On the question of whether people are being fooled more by the Minister or Sinn Féin, I have no problem in answering. The Minister is not exactly riding high in the credibility stakes at the moment. My question flows from our discussion during the previous Question Time with the Minister on the continued use of Shannon Airport by United States aircraft. Members of the Defence Forces were present at the airport on 24 April, 30 April and on several occasions in March. In the context of the Minister's assurance on the previous occasion that the activities of such aircraft did not breach our neutrality because they were not carrying munitions or arms, did the Irish Army patrol units that were present get any information as to what they were actually doing there?

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

An Garda Síochána has the primary responsibility for law and order, including the protection of the internal security of the State. Among the roles assigned to the Defence Forces is the provision of aid to the civil power, ATCP, which in practice means to assist An Garda Síochána when requested to do so. There is ongoing and close liaison between An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces regarding security matters. The Defence Forces have deployed personnel to Shannon Airport, in response to requests for support from An Garda Síochána, since 5 February 2003.

On 24 April 2014, a request for Defence Forces support was received from An Garda Síochána and troops were deployed. The Defence Forces have no information in regard to extra fuel tanks on the aircraft.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Minister does not seem to recognise the seriousness of this issue. The aircraft in question was a US navy cargo transport airplane operated by the VR-62 fleet logistics unit. This is not any ordinary aircraft; it is fitted with special fuel tanks and was previously associated with special ventures such as the one which took out Osama bin Laden. It also was used as part of a joint Australia-US military exercise in 2013. Yet the Minister continues to state that such aircraft are not engaged in military activity when they land in Shannon. If they are not carrying arms, ammunition or soldiers on their way to or from military operations or exercises, what are they doing at the airport? Why would the US Government spend money on very expensive flights across the Atlantic several times a month if there is no associated military purpose? Can the Minister shed any light on the situation? The reality, of course, is that there is no explanation other than that they are landing as part of military activity.

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Deputy might have been a fan of Osama bin Laden but I am not sure what relevance he has to this matter. I have given her the information that is available to me. There is no further information I can add in response to the question she raised. In the context of this particular flight, my information is simply that An Garda Síochána requested the assistance of the Defence Forces, and the latter provided that assistance. I have no information in regard to the further flight plans of the particular aircraft the Deputy mentioned.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Minister is returning to form in trying to mislead the House. I, of course, abhor the activities of Osama bin Laden. The point I am making is that this was not an aircraft bringing soldiers on their holidays. It is a specially modified aircraft for engagement in military exercises. The idea that the Minister could say with certainty that these aircraft are not so engaged, when Defence Forces personnel have consistently failed to examine them, beggars belief. There are no Russian aircraft or Chinese war planes landing at Shannon Airport, only US aircraft. Can the Minister really not join the dots, given what we see happening around the globe, including the build-up of military aggression in the Ukraine and Syria, for example, and conclude that the US establishment is unlikely to waste its money sending troops on their holidays on these types of aircraft? Will he not agree that the flights might have some other purpose? The Minister has some neck in insisting otherwise when he has not taken the trouble to examine the situation.

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

It is a matter of particular concern to members of the European Union that Russian troops have been exercising close to the Ukrainian border. I do not know whether that is the type of military aggression the Deputy has in mind. She also made reference to Syria. I do not understand what relevance this particular flight landing in Shannon Airport has to the dreadful tragedy being played out in Syria, where it is estimated that more than 130,000 people have lost their lives and many more are seriously injured. In addition, nearly 2.3 million people are living in refugee camps outside Syria. An horrendous civil war is going on and it seems clear that the country's ruler is continuing to use either chemical or biological weapons against his own population. Moreover, fundamentalists of the al-Qaeda type have been responsible for killing large numbers of people and warfare continues between the groupings who contest the Assad regime. What is happening in Syria is appalling and atrocious. Of course, if the Americans tried to intervene to bring about peace, they would immediately be condemned by the Deputy. What the situation in Syria has to do with the landing of an aircraft in Shannon Airport escapes me entirely.