Results 381-400 of 47,282 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Maritime Jurisdiction (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: At the outset, I very much agree with the Deputy. For an island nation, the development of a robust, comprehensive national maritime security strategy is key. Indeed, this was identified as a priority in last year's defence policy review. I am pleased to say that the strategy is now being developed in consultation with national and international stakeholders and it is expected to be...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Maritime Jurisdiction (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I agree with that. We will get to it in a second but there will of course be current public expenditure as well, including making sure we have the men and women to operate and implement any such infrastructure and that we grow the size of our navy as well. Last year's defence policy review did recommend a focus on maritime security because of our assessed threat level, our geographic...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Maritime Jurisdiction (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: The Deputy is right to highlight a particular challenge when it comes to our Naval Service. I join him in thanking its members for their exemplary service. We do need to grow our navy and that requires more men and women in our Naval Service. It also requires more than me just saying that at a headline level. It also involves identifying, as the Deputy rightly said, the specialist skills....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: The revised national development plan capital allocation for the defence Vote group for the period 2026 to 2030 is €1.7 billion. This represents an increase of €600 million, or 55%, on the previous baseline of €1.1 billion. For 2026, the defence capital allocation will increase by €85 million, or 40%, to €300 million. Capital investment in defence...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I largely agree with Deputy Ó Laoghaire. I welcome and acknowledge the fact that there is, broadly, cross-party support and support across the House for increased spending on defence and security. We will have different views and perspectives, perhaps, on where to prioritise that level of spending. However, we all recognise as a militarily unaligned neutral country that we still have...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I will check that for the Deputy as I do not have that information in my notes and I do not want to mislead the House. I am not aware that they are not on track but I will check and come back to the Deputy on that today. Yes, we are on track for 2027. As the Deputy rightly said at the outset, I do not want to get ahead of ourselves here in the sense that, in fairness to all parts of the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. As the Deputy knows, public service pension schemes, including for the Defence Forces, provide for the payment of spouses’ and children’s pensions. However, such pensions are only payable where the deceased had been a member of the relevant spouses’ and children’s scheme. I do not want to delve too much into...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Policies (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: The 2015 White Paper on Defence, which outlined Ireland's long term approach to defence provision, recognised the need for the Department of Defence to continue to engage in developing and deepening bilateral relations with potential like-minded partners to secure Ireland’s position in current and future international crisis management operations. This view was reaffirmed by the 2022...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16, 19, 29, 35 and 51 together. Currently the Defence Forces has 343 personnel are deployed with the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) in Lebanon. This includes an Infantry Battalion, under Irish Command, deployed in partnership with Poland, Hungary and Malta along the Blue Line as part of IRISHPOLBATT, as well as a number of staff officers and NCOs...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Ukraine War (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 and 60 together. At the outset, I wish to reassure the Deputy that I am committed, as is the rest of the Government, to working with our European and Ukrainian counterparts to maintain our solidarity with Ukraine and to ensure Ukraine gets the support it needs to defend itself against brutal Russian aggression. This remains a key focus of my...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for his interest in the development of Casement Aerodrome and for the opportunity to discuss the progress that has been made. Building on the success of the Infrastructure Development, approval was given to develop a series of masterplans for each installation which will be developed to future-proof for the next 20-30 years. This approach will identify from the outset...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 and 43 together. Since my appointment as Minister for Defence, in addition to a programme of cultural transformation, which is underway, my focus has been on stabilising the numbers of Defence Force personnel and facilitating the capacity for further increases. The Deputy will appreciate that retention levels are not influenced by a single factor, but...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: National Security (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: Safeguarding undersea critical infrastructure requires a multifaceted approach and the recent investment in sonar capability is just one of those approaches. The Government has committed to measures to safeguard undersea critical infrastructure and the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces have a significant body of work underway in that regard. In relation to subsea domain...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 48 together. The military authorities have advised that as of 31 July 2025, the latest date for which such information is available, the strength of the Permanent Defence Force stood at 7,540. Recruitment to the Defence Forces remains ongoing through a number of pathways including general service recruitment, re-entry schemes, 8 Naval Service...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: As recognised in the Report on the Commission on Defence Forces and accepted by Government, the Defence Forces needs to be capable of delivering military effects across the cyber domain. To this end, my Department published a high-level action plan for the Report on the Commission on the Defence Forces, which included recommendations relating to Defence Forces Cyber Defence functions As...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: The military authorities have advised that as of 31 July 2025, the latest date such figures are available for, the strength of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) stood at 7,540 personnel. The current agreed establishment strength of the PDF is 9,739. The strength of the PDF as of the 31 December 2019 was 8,659. As the Deputy is aware, in July 2022, Government approved a move, over a...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: The Defence Act 1954, as amended, prohibits the unlawful wearing of any Defence Force uniform or dress. Section 264 of the Defence Act 1954 provides that it shall be an offence for any person (not being a member of the Defence Forces) to wear, without permission granted by or on behalf of the Minister for Defence, any uniform of the Defence Forces or any colourable imitation thereof. This...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: National Security (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has taken the lead in the development of a National Maritime Security Strategy following identification of maritime security as a priority in last year’s Defence Policy Review. This strategy is being developed in consultation with national and international stakeholders and I look forward to its delivery to me before the end of this year....

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Budget Process (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: The Government approved a move to Level of Ambition 2 (LOA2), as recommended by the Commission on the Defence Forces in July, 2022. As part of that decision, the Government committed to increasing the funding allocated to defence to €1.5 billion (at January 2022 prices) by 2028, to be agreed through the annual Estimates process. To date, this has delivered a funding increase of...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Naval Service (18 Sep 2025)

Simon Harris: A number of significant initiatives have been introduced in recent years in relation to pay and other non-pay conditions, most notably the introduction of a significantly enhanced Patrol Duty allowance. Together with the hard work and dedication of the men and women of the Naval Service, these initiatives have resulted in the stabilisation of Naval Service strength, with indications of...