Tánaiste must answer to the Dáil on Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE) membership – Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire TD

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire TD, has said that he will be requesting for the Tánaiste to come before the Oireachtas to provide full details of cooperation agreements with the European Commission through Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE) membership and to address concerns that such arrangements are further eroding Irish neutrality.

Deputy Ó Laoghaire expressed concern that this continues a dangerous pattern taken by previous Minister of Defence, Micheál Martin, of approving such matters without any consultation or scrutiny. Teachta Ó Laoghaire also questioned why members of the Dáil are learning about such matters from the media.

The Cork South Central TD further criticised government’s failure to adequately invest in the Defence Forces, or to address the recruitment and retention crisis that has left Ireland unable to monitor and protect our skies and seas.

Speaking today, Teachta Ó Laoghaire said:

 “Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris has given the Defence Forces approval to formally join the CISE. He claims this will boost the Ireland’s maritime surveillance.

“The worrying thing is that we are witnessing the same pattern taken by previous Minister of Defence, Micheál Martin, of signing up to such matters with zero consultation or scrutiny. Why are members of the Dáil learning about such matters from the media?

“With Ireland now set to become a member of an alliance of European nations that share intelligence on potential threats in EU waters.  The Tánaiste must ensure that this sharing of information does not impact in any way on Ireland’s neutrality.

“Many Irish people will be concerned by reports that the government has agreed to this new arrangement without any oversight.

“Dáil Committees are now being set up, why wouldn’t this have been referred to the relevant Committee for scrutiny and consideration?

“The Tánaiste should not be taking the approach of simply signing Ireland up to whatever international military or intelligence entanglements he wishes, with the constitutionally and legally bare minimum level of scrutiny or even oversight from the Oireachtas – which in many cases amounts to zero.

“It’s also ironic that this has been framed in the media as Ireland having responsibility for the monitoring of an extensive Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) with limited resources, given the state of our Defence Forces.

“Successive governments have presided over a worsening crisis in our Defence Forces, consistently failing to invest adequately – even failing to meet Level of Ambition Two, as outlined in the Commission on the Defence Forces.  

“I will be requesting that the Oireachtas Committee on Defence call on the Tánaiste to attend a meeting in order to outline the details of this arrangement and similar arrangements, and to address concerns that such arrangements are further eroding Irish neutrality.”

“Irish neutrality allows Ireland to play a positive and constructive role in global affairs, it is our best defence.”