State sued over alleged secret deal for RAF to patrol Irish airspace 

Senator Gerard Craughwell's case is that the State has failed in its constitutional duty by not putting arrangements with the UK's military in front of the Oireachtas

An RAF Typhoon fighter jet. Senator Gerard Craughwell's case is that an alleged agreement whereby the UK would protect Irish airspace breaches the Constitution. File picture: SAC Charlotte Hopkins/PA 

The State is being sued in the courts by an Independent Senator for allegedly engaging in a secret deal with the Royal Air Force to outsource the patrolling of Irish airspace.

The High Court case, taken by Senator Gerard Craughwell and lodged on Monday, states that the alleged agreement between Ireland and the RAF amounts to a breach of multiple clauses of the Constitution and “an impermissible dilution of sovereignty”.