Results 37,001-37,020 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: Ireland is continuing to provide strong political and practical support for Ukraine and we continue to assert Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Government has stated that Ireland will play its part in assisting people from the Ukraine and has already lifted visa requirements to allow people from the Ukraine who want to seek safety here in Ireland to do so as easily as...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: Ireland has always been a strong supporter of the United Nations and UN Peacekeeping. Our commitment and support for the primary role of the United Nations, in the maintenance of international peace and security, is expressed in Ireland's long-standing tradition of participating in UN peacekeeping operations. This commitment is also expressed in our engagement in the EU's Common Security...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 108 and 109 together. Following the launch of the 5 year Built Infrastructure Programme for the Defence Forces in 2020, significant progress has been made in delivery on modernising the DF built environment. A number of significant projects were delivered/completed during 2021 including: - Construction of 2 new gymnasia at Sarsfields Barracks, Limerick and at...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: A wide range of medical services are provided to members of the Permanent Defence Force. These include an annual medical examination, sick parades, attendance at GP surgery outside of sick parade and out-of-hours GP services, prescription services, laboratory services, physiotherapy, chiropody, radiology, ophthalmic examinations, in-patient and outpatient public hospital charges, routine...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Commission on the Defence Forces was established on foot of a commitment in the Programme for Government and the Government decision in December 2020 which also agreed its terms of reference and membership. As the Deputy will be aware, the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces was recently published. The Commission have undertaken a significant body of work encompassing...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: United Nations (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: Ireland and other troop contributing countries register capabilities and contingents available for deployment to UN Peacekeeping Operations overseas on the Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System (PCRS). These capabilities are additional to those already deployed or committed to other operations. This provides the UN with a dynamic up-to-date catalogue of actual trained and available...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Pension Provisions (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: A reduction was made from the Disability Pension of the person in question on foot of Section 13 (2) of the Army Pensions Act, 1923, as amended, which provides that: “Any compensation which may be received from or on behalf of the person alleged to be responsible for the act which caused the wounding ... may be taken into consideration in fixing the amount of any pension, allowance or...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: The NCO promotion competition that the Deputy refers to was originally scheduled to run in late 2021. There has been ongoing consultation between civil/military management and the Representative Body, PDFORRA, to take account of a number of proposed changes to ensure improved efficiency of the competition process. This consutation process is almost completed and it is expected that the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: The table attached outlines the variance between current strength and the establishment strength, by Branch and by rank, within Permanent Defence Force as at 31st January 2022, the latest date for which such information is available. Vacancies, where current strength is less than the establishment strength, are filled on an ongoing basis in line with promotional...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (9 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Report of the Public Service Pay Commission on Recruitment and Retention in the Defence Forces was accepted in full by the Government. A High Level Plan titled "Strengthening our Defence Forces” was also agreed and published on the same date. The high level plan comprised 15 individual projects most of which have now been completed or at an advanced stage. Four projects...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (10 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Commission on the Defence Forces was established on foot of a commitment in the programme for Government and the Government decision in December 2020, which also agreed its terms of reference and membership. The report was published on 9 February this year. The commission undertook a significant body of work encompassing its wide-ranging terms of reference. The report contains 69 main...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (10 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: As I said, I hope to bring forward an action plan and implementation plan that I can bring to Government before the summer recess. I hope to be able to do that in June. Certainly, people who have studied the detail of this report will understand that quite a lot of consultation is required before we can do that. It is important to give it that time but we do not want to waste any time...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (10 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: I have spoken to PDFORRA about this issue; I assume the Deputy knows that. There is no issue with goodwill. This is about trying to work our way through one of many issues we have to work through arising from the recommendations of the commission. I have said I have an open mind about PDFORRA's relationship with ICTU in the context of pay talks and that is my position. I have also said it...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Expenditure (10 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: I will respond to the question that was put in writing. On an annual basis, the overall defence Vote group allocation is determined within the overarching budgetary framework and the approval of Dáil Éireann, having regard to the level of resources available to defence policy requirements. Thus, for 2022, the total gross allocation provided to the defence Vote group, as set out in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Expenditure (10 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: I do not know if the Deputy has had a chance to read the report but the recommendation is that we would increase our level of ambition around defence and defence resourcing. Specifically it asks us to improve troop protection for more demanding roles overseas. Does the Deputy disagree with that? It asks us to enhance situational awareness with primary radar capacity; significantly...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Expenditure (10 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: That is not recommended.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Expenditure (10 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: The report does not recommend that the Government moves to purchase a squadron of fighter aircraft. There are three options for the Government: level of ambition one. which is to stay as we are; level of ambition two, which is to add the kind of capacity that I just put on the record; and level of ambition three, which is to increase military capacity more significantly in line with what...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (10 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am glad that this question was asked so that I can put some of the data on the record. As of 1 March, Ireland is contributing 569 personnel to nine different missions throughout the world. The main overseas missions in which Defence Forces personnel are currently deployed are the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, with 344 personnel and the United Nations Disengagement...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (10 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: What is happening with the review process, which is a civil-military process where we are looking at our presence overseas, is we are anticipating that later this decade we would like to be able to have the capacity to make contributions, primarily to UN missions, that are potentially more complex, particularly ones on the continent of Africa that may involve chapter 7 missions. In order to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (10 Mar 2022)

Simon Coveney: That information is a topic of discussion. When I was in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, the last time, we had a number of conversations on mandatory selection, that is, where people are asked to serve overseas when they have not volunteered to do so. That is because there are pinch points with skill sets and specialists that are needed for overseas missions. That is...