Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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44. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the status of the development of a new institute for peace support and leadership training at the Defence Forces Training Centre, Curragh Camp; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27757/18]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Minister the status of the development of a new institute for peace support and leadership training at the Defence Forces Training Centre, Curragh Camp, and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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The White Paper on Defence includes a commitment to evaluate the potential development of a new institute for peace support and leadership training in the Defence Forces Training Centre in the Curragh. A Programme for a Partnership Government also includes a commitment to develop this institute. It is foreseen that the new institute would have international standing and contribute to the overall development of knowledge and experience in the areas of peace support, leadership and conflict resolution.

Scoping work was carried out on the proposal throughout 2016. A concept paper was developed and some initial consultations took place with national and international third level and research institutes, as well as potential philanthropic contributors. Arising from this, it was decided to conduct a formal feasibility study. Following a tender process in 2017, a contract was awarded to a consultancy body to complete this study. Work on the study commenced in January 2018 and an interim report is expected in July. This interim report will inform the next steps to be taken.

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister. This is an issue we mentioned as a party in 2013 and my colleague, the current Ceann Comhaire, sought to have it progressed. I am concerned that there was a two year period during which this was a scoping exercise and now it is a feasibility study. Is that an indication that there is significant doubt within the Department of Defence towards progressing it? It is moving at a very slow pace and I would like to believe it will be progressed at a quicker pace. That is important. We saw Kofi Annan launch a new peacekeeping training centre in China recently. They are trying to develop an expertise around cyber security. In an Irish context we have the Government's policy on foreign direct investment, FDI, the progression on data centres and technology control around peacekeeping but also developing the intelligence expertise in a particular centre to address serious safety issues in terms of cyber security that will threaten companies but also the State itself. We need to be looking at developing a model of expertise that can become international best practice. We need to move beyond feasibility studies and I would like to see a more defined proposal from the Minister and his Department.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Initial research and consultation suggests there is a considerable number of national and international operators within the areas of peace and support leadership and conflict resolution. Therefore, in order to identify and leverage Ireland's unique selling points, for example, our neutrality and the Northern Ireland peace process, I felt it appropriate when I was appointed as Minister to carry out a detailed evaluation and feasibility study to determine how best to proceed.

It is envisaged the study will assist in the validation, development or amendment of the existing concept. The successful development of an institute will require substantial investment of taxpayers' money and must be properly evaluated and planned. On my appointment in 2016, I did not want to go ahead with the peace and leadership institute for it to flop within two years because so many institutes are offering the same thing. That is why I wanted a scoping exercise to find out what kind of leadership courses we could offer that are not already available. Piggy-backing on our expertise in peacekeeping, the peace process in Northern Ireland and in neutrality, we will be able to offer courses in those areas.

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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When does the Minister of State expect a decision to be made? When will the feasibility study be completed? When will the Minister of State make a decision on it? It is mentioned in the White Paper that work on the concept will be developed over the following 12 months with a view to its initial shape being showcased in 2016. We are now in 2018. The Minister of State has given the reasons for the evaluation, scoping study and feasibility analysis. When will he make a decision on this? It is underpinned by the White Paper. The Minister of State should give a timeline to the House on when he will be in a position to formalise this. It is important in a future defence context for Ireland to develop the expertise. I gave the example of cyber intelligence. The Minister of State mentioned our historic strides in peacekeeping. He needs to make a decision on it and give a timeline for when he will do it instead of having another feasibility study of the evaluations. There will be a cycle of repetition. We need a formal decision.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Talking about repetition, what I do not want is to have a leadership institute that will collapse in two, three, four or five years' time. I want something that is attractive and will be there for years to come. We have to get the expertise of partners involved. When we let this go out to a feasibility study in January 2018 we asked the company to interact with the Department, the Defence Forces and education organisations, including universities, institutes of technologies and other peace and leadership institutes. We asked for an examination of what they were offering and what could make us different from and more attractive than them. The people I spoke to said there is a huge amount of work involved in this. It is not just about building the building, bringing people in from overseas and talking about Ireland's neutrality or how great we are at peacekeeping overseas. We are outstanding but we have to look beyond that. We have to look at ten or 15 years down the road instead of three or five years down the road.