Dáil debates

Tuesday, 26 January 2016

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions

Departmental Projects

2:45 pm

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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51. To ask the Minister for Defence the status of the development of a new institute for peace support and leadership training at the Curragh in County Kildare. [3006/16]

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The proposal to establish an institute for peace support and leadership training at the Curragh campus is one of a number of very positive proposals included in the Minister's White Paper on Defence. This question seeks to give the Minister the opportunity to indicate to the House to what extent that proposal is being moved forward and the type of timescales that exist for the delivery of this important new piece of infrastructure.

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank all Deputies for welcoming this initiative. I do not think there has been any criticism of the idea. The idea is essentially based on trying to build on Ireland's international reputation as a very effective peacekeeping nation that can offer and share training capacity to help in the broad efforts around making peacekeeping, peace enforcement and peace management more effective. It is not solely about a military response; it is also about diplomatic responses, education and understanding international humanitarian law and its consequences for conflict management, post-conflict management and so on.

It also involves things like gender-based violence, where Ireland can develop niche capacity internationally and help others to build capacity. Out of all of the recommendations in the White Paper, I am probably more excited about the establishment of a peace and leadership institute than anything else. We will spend a lot of money on the project, and have already committed about €10 million to it in the capital programme. I would like very significant donations, from various sources, for the project, something on which we are already making good progress.

I do not want to rush the project in order to try to launch something before an election or whatever. The Department has almost finalised a very detailed report on the next steps for the peace and leadership institute. We will set up an implementation working group, comprising some very experienced people that are balanced between national and international in their outlook. This will not be a western institution working on its own. It will, I hope, ensure that we have inputs from different parts of the world, whether Christian, Islamic, European, African or Middle Eastern, so that there is genuine input in terms of an international peace and leadership training institute in Ireland on neutral ground, if one wants to call it that.

So far, the engagement has involved universities at home and abroad. We have spoken to university presidents and leaders in terms of getting universities to be part of the overall project. It is progressing well. It will be very exciting for Kildare.

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I share the enthusiasm of the Minister. That is why we included a proposal such as this in our White Paper submission some years ago. We should perhaps acknowledge the role His Highness, the Aga Khan, has played in inspiring a number of people to support this type of initiative. When the Minister came to the Curragh last year to launch the consultation process on the development of the racecourse, I was struck by the fact that His Highness had been involved in that particular initiative as well.

The equine and military developments could complement each other. As we see those two positive developments move forward, it highlights the need to see some sort of management structure or management agency put in place to examine the needs of the Curragh plains in a holistic manner. The institute for peace is a wonderful initiative. I commend the Minister on what he is doing. I hope whoever is in his seat after the election moves forward with the project.

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My intention is to make sure that this happens before I leave so it is in a process of delivery, as opposed to a decision having to be made about it after the election. Any future Minister can make any decisions he or she wants to.

The Deputy mentioned His Highness, the Aga Khan. I travelled to Paris recently to talk to him about this project. To say he was very interested would be an understatement. In terms of playing a supportive role, obviously this is a project for Ireland and the Irish Government to take forward, and he understands that. He was very supportive of the concept, found it intriguing and wanted to be supportive in any way he could be.

He has many contacts, particularly in the Islamic and Muslim world and, from a university perspective, this could offer real insight into ensuring it is a genuinely international institute as opposed to just being Irish.

On the Curragh as a whole, as the Deputy knows, we are setting up a forum on the management of the Curragh Plains. This area in Kildare will see some very exciting changes in the coming years. We will see a €60 million or €70 million redevelopment of the Curragh racecourse. We will see a significant peace and leadership institute, which will be a big landmark in the Curragh as well as being a very successful institute. We will see more co-ordination in the management of the Curragh plains.

2:55 pm

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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In respect of the institute itself, when one considers from a training point of view that at any given time the UN deploys approximately 100,000 personnel throughout the world, it gives an indication of the demand that can exist for the type of training that can be provided in a centre of excellence such as that which we need to see developed in this location. I agree with the Minister that it is by ensuring the participation of international agencies and experts, and by ensuring that the qualifications that emerge from such a centre have widespread acceptance, recognition and certification from the appropriate third level institutions, that we can guarantee the success of the initiative. It would be very good for Ireland's reputation and would build on our success in international diplomacy and peacekeeping. It can be entirely good for the local and national economy.

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The idea is that the Defence Forces would provide a platform, similar to a university campus, which would be safe and secure and would allow people to stay for relatively short-term courses, to be provided by universities from various parts of the world which have real expertise in various areas. Whether one is a diplomat, working for an NGO or an officer in a defence force somewhere, one could come to Ireland to the peace and leadership institute and get a certificate from a top university in some part of Africa, the US, Europe or the Middle East. What is important is to get the model right and have the right universities engaging early so that they are part of the design of the institute. This is not simply about training soldiers for better peacekeeping, although that will be part of it; it is also about going far beyond the military to look at more effective approaches politically, and supporting peace processes to make them more effective.