There is no doubt that people the length and breadth of the country are greeting the start of this Dáil term with a certain amount of horror and fear about what the Government intends to unleash in the butchering of living conditions. It is also quite clear, given the Taoiseach's reply to Deputy Adams, that he has no intention of answering these questions in here and that it will probably be the people outside the gates who will have to force an answer from him.

Seeing as he is not interested in answering questions on domestic policy, we might focus his attention on some issues of foreign policy. I ask the Taoiseach if he is aware that yesterday the Peace and Neutrality Alliance launched its findings from a Red C opinion poll conducted over the weekend which revealed that almost 80% of Irish people are in favour of a policy of neutrality, that over 80% do not support a war on Syria without a UN mandate, and that 67% are opposed to the sending of arms or military supplies by Ireland or the EU to anti-government groups in Syria. These are very clear findings. A total of 61% of Irish people do not now think that Irish troops should be sent to Syria. At the same time, last week, Ireland was lambasted by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights for colluding in the illegal CIA kidnapping and torture of terror suspects. He demanded that we investigate the use of Shannon Airport and demanded an end to our violation of human rights. He demanded that we atone for those activities. Yet, despite the views of the Irish people and despite the views of international human rights organisations, the Government continues to facilitate and actively assist the warmongering of the US military. I find it somewhat ironic that in the same week that Irish citizens protesting for peace were brought before the courts in Ennis, there was a spike in US military activity in Shannon as the pressure on Syria was ratcheted up. I ask the Taoiseach to comment on the irrefutable evidence produced at that time of armed soldiers on the ground beside those US aircraft. These were either Irish soldiers offering support services to the US, in which case it was a breach of neutrality, or they were US soldiers not only breaching neutrality but illegally engaging on Irish soil. They are only supposed to be here if unarmed. The Tánaiste is always fond of telling us that they are unarmed. I ask how he knows that, because it is never investigated.

What is the Taoiseach going to do about these unlawful acts? In keeping with the views of the majority of Irish people, can he now confirm that he will not send Irish troops to Syria? When will he behave like the leader of a sovereign nation with an independent foreign policy which is making its mark on the world stage, or is he happy to continue being the governor of the 51st state of the Union?

I do not agree with the Deputy's last assertion, nor do I agree with her first assertion. It is not the case that the Government, in its preparations for the budget, is unleashing a wave of fear on the people of the country. I am glad the European Union calendar has changed to allow for the budget to be announced on 15 October. This avoids months of wild allegations and speculative comments about what might or might not happen in the budget. It is only appropriate that the budget be based on true, exact and detailed financial figures, which are now in the final stages of preparation before presentation to the Minister for Finance. I can assure Deputy Daly, Deputy Adams and the House that there will be ample opportunity to discuss and debate the questions surrounding the budget decisions taken by the Government both in this Chamber and in the relevant committees.

As an Irish citizen I am very proud of the part that our country, our Army and Garda Síochána personnel have played over many years in peacekeeping arrangements in various locations around the world, from the Congo to the Lebanon to Chad to Cyprus and now the Golan Heights. The decision has been made by the Government to send a contingent of troops to the Golan Heights, based on the evidence supplied by the chief of staff, on the decision of the Houses of the Oireachtas and on the international situation.

It is not the first time Irish troops have been in service on the Golan Heights, and they have carried out their duties and responsibilities with great distinction over the years.

As a non-aligned country, Ireland has continued to make a disproportionate impact in many ways around the world. I saw evidence of this first-hand a couple of years ago when I had the opportunity to travel to Kosovo and see Irish troops in very difficult positions show equal courtesy to both sides, and they were regarded as exceptional troops in uniform and carrying the beret of the United Nations. They worked with Finnish troops on those occasions. It is a case of Ireland continuing to operate to the highest standards with regard to international participation.

The discussions that took place at the European Council meeting earlier in the year concerning the Syrian matter had very divergent views from a number of leaders. They were also focused on a range of evidence and information, as well as the disparity of views, regarding opposition to the Assad regime in Syria. The atrocities carried out, with so many people losing their lives by the use of chemical weapons, speak for themselves. The agreement reached by the various international countries, including the US and Russia, has brought about a position where we must examine exactly what happened.