Govt says opposition want to 'slow-walk' triple lock bill

Govt claims opposition attempting to 'slow-walk' triple lock bill

Updated / Wednesday, 28 Oct 2026 15:57

The controversial bill to remove the triple lock from Irish law will not be debated by an Oireachtas committee until at least the second half of November.

It comes amid Government claims that opposition parties are trying to "slow-walk" the legislation until after the end of this year.

The triple lock only allows the deployment of more than 12 members of the Defence Forces overseas when it has been agreed by the Government, the Dáil and the UN.

RTÉ News understands that the latest clash over the bill's progression has occurred after the coalition sought to have the legislation debated in the first two weeks of November, before being told any discussion on organising a date will not take place until 12 November at the earliest.

The situation is outlined in correspondence sent between Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee and Oireachtas defence committee chair and Sinn Féin TD Rose Conway Walsh in recent days.

In a letter to Deputy Conway Walsh last Thursday, a day after an initial Dáil vote agreed to remove the triple lock, Minister McEntee requested that the bill be discussed at committee stage in "the first two weeks of November".

However, the following day, Deputy Conway Walsh responded by saying that these dates will not be possible, and that any discussion on what dates the bill can be debated will not begin to take place until the middle of next month.

"You will be aware I am co-hosting an inter-parliamentary conference on the common foreign and security policy and the common security and defence policy during the first week of November, which members of the committee will also be in attendance.

"Therefore, the schedule of the bill for committee stage, and your correspondence, will be discussed at the committee's next scheduled private meeting which will be held on Thursday November 12," Deputy Conway Walsh's letter read.

Government sources have suggested this situation is in effect an attempt to "slow-walk" the legislation and potentially delay its final Dáil sign-off until after the end of this year.

However, asked through the Sinn Féin press office if this is a deliberate attempt to procedurally delay or "slow-walk" the bill, Deputy Conway Walsh said in a statement: "We will discuss a schedule for committee stage of the bill at a private meeting scheduled for November 12.

"We will facilitate a full examination of the bill with full consideration of all amendments tabled by all parties. My priority is to ensure the process is thorough and transparent."