Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 26 September 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence

Implementation of the Recommendations of the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Discussion

Ms Jacqui McCrum:

No, I do not. Where there is a conflict of interest, or if it ever arises at any board meeting I am at, I excuse myself.

Regarding the autonomy and power of the Chief of Staff, I was not sure if that question was directed to me but I will start the conversation and the Chief of Staff can contribute. The Chief of Staff and I have our own responsibilities. We are very clear on those responsibilities and we are very clear on those accountabilities. We meet for definite every week on a Monday but in general we talk to each other most days because the matters do cross over each other. We need to work collectively and collegiately as two leaders to make these organisations a success. We are very much focused on that and we will not be resiling from that.