Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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29. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he has received recent official requests from the European Commission to strengthen the Irish Defence Forces; if so, the reasons for doing so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21890/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am happy to confirm to the Deputy that no request, official or otherwise, has been received from the European Commission in relation to the strengthening of the Irish Defence Forces.

In any case, and as the Deputy will be aware, decision-making power in relation to Defence remain a national competence under the European Treaties, and it remains a matter for Ireland, and any and every other individual EU Member State, to decide our own way forward in this regard.

Nevertheless, Ireland remains a strong supporter of the EU's Common Security & Defence Policy (CSDP), and will remain fully engaged in all CSDP processes in order to contribute fully to the development of the Policy in order that we can influence its evolution.

Though broader EU policy in this regard evolves in response to circumstance - most particularly exemplified by the EU's response to Russia's continued aggression towards Ukraine - and as evidenced by the agreement of the Ukraine Assistance Fund under the European Peace Facility, and by the European Commission launch of its Communication of a Defence Industrial Strategy, any additional obligations proposed towards Member States must be mindful of the Treaties, and will be subject to negotiation and agreement by all Member States, including Ireland.

Where any such proposals are made, they will be examined in full cognizance of Ireland's national policy in this regard.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides support to two recognised Veterans Associations. These Veterans Associations, which represent all former personnel, are Óglaigh Náisiúnta na hÉireann (ONE), the Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel, and the Irish United Nations Veterans Association (IUNVA). My officials and I meet regularly with these recognised Veterans Associations to discuss matters of concern to their members.

My Department has entered into Service Level Agreements with ONE and IUNVA, under which an annual grant is paid to both organisations in order to assist with their administrative overheads. ONE is paid €130,000 and IUNVA is paid €30,000. These grants were increased substantially in 2022.

As a further means of assistance, since 2021 my Department has also secured total funding of €900,000 under the Dormant Accounts Fund to assist ONE and IUNVA with specific special projects.

The Defence Forces Personal Support Service provide limited support to retired members of the Defence Forces on a case-by-case basis, as well as assisting ONE and IUNVA in their work providing advice and support to veterans.

The establishment of an Office of Veterans Affairs, under new Defence Forces structures, was one of the recommendations included in the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces published on 9 February 2022. A detailed implementation plan for the Commission's recommendations was subsequently published on 21 November 2023.

Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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32. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the progress to date in ensuring the provisions of the working time directive are applied, where appropriate, to members of the Defence Forces; if he will detail those activities that are deemed outside the scope of the directive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22127/24]

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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38. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the progress he has made on ending the blanket exclusion of members of the Defence Forces from the protections of the working time directive. [22046/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 32 and 38 together.

I wish to assure the Deputy of my ongoing commitment, as Minister for Defence, to the removal of the blanket exemption which currently applies to the Defence Forces in the Organisation of Working Time Act .

As the Deputy is aware, I recently approved the final management position, on this matter, which was presented to me, following extensive consultations involving the PDF Representative Associations and civilian-military management. I wish to again express my thanks to my officials, military management and the Representative Associations for their significant efforts in bringing this piece of work to a conclusion.

While the military authorities have advised that a high percentage of the normal everyday work of the Defence Forces is already in compliance with the Working Time Directive, the final approved management position provides for the exemption of certain military activities, due to their specific nature and agreed protections.

In order to progress to the necessary legislative stage, I have written to my colleague and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mr. Peter Burke T.D. whose Department has responsibility for bringing forward the appropriate legislative framework for removing the blanket exemption from the Organisation of Working Time Act. To this end, my officials have now commenced formal dialogue with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE), on the agreed management position. It would not be appropriate therefore, to share the details of the final management position at this time while the formal engagement is underway.

I'm sure the Deputy will agree that this is a very significant piece of work which will benefit each member of the Defence Forces. The implementation of the Working Time Directive across the Defence Forces should be recognised as an important retention measure which will ensure that health and safety protections as prescribed in the Directive, are afforded to serving personnel.

Finally, I wish to add that the recently concluded pilot Time and Attendance system undertaken by the military authorities, across a number of areas within the Defence Forces, and the follow-on procurement of a long-term electronic solution, will lead to the development of a robust system to record the daily working hours of every member of the Defence Forces. This will be a critical enabler in taking forward the implementation of the Directive.