Government moving quickly to pass legislation on removing the Triple Lock

Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee said she is moving quickly to get draft legislation passed by the Oireachtas on removing Ireland’s Triple Lock system.

The current system requires permission of the Government, the Dáil and the UN to send more than 12 Irish soldiers on missions. The legislation will remove the requirement for UN approval, and a Dáil resolution would not be necessary when a Defence Forces contingent deploying abroad has 50 members or less.

Reforming Ireland’s Triple Lock has been heavily criticised by the opposition, with People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy saying it is a “defining onslaught” on Ireland’s neutrality. Minister McEntee has rejected these claims, saying reforming the Triple Lock would not weaken Ireland’s policy of military neutrality.

The Government is keen to pass the legislation as it says the present system is preventing Ireland from new peacekeeping missions. Under the current Triple Lock, permanent members of the UN Security Council such as Russia and China can veto proposals to send Irish troops abroad.

The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week

Speaking on Monday, Ms McEntee said Ireland needs to take back its ability to deploy troops on the ground “in parts of the world that need their expertise”.

She added: “It is quite simply the case at the moment that any one of five permanent members can veto and prevent any new peacekeeping missions from taking place, and because of that veto there has not been a new peacekeeping mission since 2014. I think we need to take back our sovereignty in that regard.

“We have a long-standing history, and a history we’re very proud of, providing peacekeeping troops on the ground. We should be able to continue that ourselves without others being able to veto it.”

The Foreign Affairs and Defence Minister was speaking before the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, where she said the Government believes using frozen Russian assets to fund a reparation loan for Ukraine is the best way forward.

However, Belgium, which has the majority of the assets, is opposing this over fears of legal and political fallout, and is calling for the EU to borrow the amount needed.

EU leaders are due to make a decision on it later this week, with Minister McEntee saying: “I understand the concerns that member states have raised, but it is absolutely essential that we send a very strong signal. The reparations loan is the way that we see is best moving forward.”

For more of the latest breaking news from the Irish Mirror check out our homepage by clicking here