Members of the opposition have said that a “full debate” is needed on the Triple Lock in the Dáil.
The opposition has accused the government of a “planned guillotine” of the Dáil debate for Wednesday.
The debate surrounds legislation on removing the Triple Lock.
Labour TD Duncan Smith said, “the government wants to dismantle the Triple Lock, yet it will allow just three and a half hours for this debate; that is completely unacceptable.”
“This decision speaks volumes about Ministers’ confidence in their own argument. Cutting the debate short will not resolve those concerns,” the Dublin Fingal East TD said.
“Choosing to rush this debate in the same week as the Finance Bill looks like a deliberate attempt to push through a contentious change while public attention is elsewhere. Ministers should welcome scrutiny of a decision this important,” the Labour foreign affairs spokesperson said.
“Labour supports Ireland’s military neutrality and the Triple Lock. We recognise the challenges facing the United Nations, but the government has not made the case that abandoning this safeguard provides the answer.
Smith said, “the government must stop trying to force this legislation through and provide adequate time for debate. TDs must have the opportunity to scrutinise this change before they vote.”
Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan has once again called out the motion as “an utterly reckless course from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael”.
Boylan said, “scrapping the Triple Lock is an incredibly reckless move.”
She said that “every poll shows repeatedly that Irish people value our neutrality, and the triple lock is a key part of protecting it.”
“We know that our government can’t be trusted to stand up to international pressure on global issues, so it’s vital that we don’t leave decisions around deployment of our troops solely in their hands; the Triple Lock is a vital fireguard between Irish neutrality and an increasingly militarised EU,” she said.
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy “the government has no mandate to end the triple lock.”
On the contrary, Catherine Connolly made opposition to militarisation and defence of the triple lock central to her presidential election campaign, a position that was key to her emphatic win.
The Dublin South-West TD said, “the real context to the efforts to end the Triple Lock is that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are determined to become full participants in Western imperialism’s military act, intervening in weaker countries and profiting from the military-industrial complex, just like the rest of the EU and NATO states.”
“The government should stop lying to people about what they are doing and why they are doing it. Let the people decide, through a referendum, on the future of our neutrality and the triple lock.”