Results 38,221-38,240 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ukraine War (28 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: However, all the advice we are getting at the moment suggests there is no appetite in the Kremlin at this time for a peaceful outcome in the short term in the form of a ceasefire.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ukraine War (28 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: I wish we could use our voice to bring about a ceasefire and peace. However, anybody who looks at Russia's actions will see it has sent a signal to western leaders meeting this week by way of the brutality of what it did yesterday. This is not a country that is seeking peace. It is a country that is seeking to dominate its neighbour and bring Ukraine back into the Russian sphere of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Naval Service (28 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 75 and 81 together. I accepted the recommendation of the working group on decommissioning, dated December 2021, that the decommissioning and disposal of three Naval Service ships, namely, the LÉ Eithne, P31, the LÉ Orla, P41, and the LÉ Ciara, P42, should be progressed as soon as is practicable, taking into account resourcing and the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Naval Service (28 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: What happened with Malta in the past was that there was a comment that got quite a lot of media coverage, but that vessel became the flagship for the Maltese Navy for several years afterwards. The transfer was very successful. It is important to say this. The ship had quite a number of extra years of life and it was very useful at the time to the Maltese. They were very thankful for it....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Naval Service (28 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: There has been no expression of interest from the Ukraine Government in terms of a government-to-government transfer of these vessels between Ireland and Ukraine. It simply has not come up. There has been an expression of interest from elsewhere, which we are looking at, but there is no final decision yet. If we were to share those vessels with Ukraine, I do not think it would undermine...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (28 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: That is a very good question. I am advised by the military authorities that there is an ongoing programme of HR development within the Defence Forces, part of which is aimed at ensuring that, where at all possible, there is an appropriate work-life balance for its members. The Defence Forces have piloted new work-life balance initiatives, including reviewing how career courses are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (28 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: Honestly, we are looking at all of these matters. One of the possibilities for the next few years, on the back of the commission report, is that we will see a radical restructuring of the Defence Forces, in particular the Army. We will see a new Army headquarters, a new defence headquarters, a new structure headed up by a chief of defence for the first time in Ireland. Senior decision...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (28 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: As for accommodation, if there are people sleeping in their cars, I would like to hear the details of that. I have heard people say that before and I always ask for the details but I have not got them yet. It may have happened. I do not know. If it is happening, it should not be and we should be addressing it. We are investing a lot of badly needed money in accommodation in various...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (28 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: I would love to give Deputy Ó Cuív a load of detail on that but I probably owe it to my Cabinet colleagues to tell them first. All I can say to him is that I have given a commitment to bring to the Government recommendations from the commission report in the month of June. We are at the end of June now, so that will be done very shortly - next week, I hope. If, however, we cannot...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (28 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: As for the consultation on this, I have been to virtually every barracks in the country and have asked the Defence Forces to put a balanced selection of people into a room with me. I have taken questions for a couple of hours in most cases. That includes Donegal, Galway, Cork, Athlone, Dublin and the Curragh. We have met as many Defence Forces personnel as we possibly can to explain to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (28 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: "Yes" is the straight answer to that question. I hope that that will happen well in advance of our breaking up in a few weeks' time. I do not believe that it is either justifiable or necessary for the Defence Forces to have the presence they have in Portlaoise Prison indefinitely. My view is that the Defence Forces should be phased out of Portlaoise Prison but, of course, we have to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cybersecurity Policy (28 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 78 and 79 together. There will be a new cyber command within new Defence Force structures. That will report into the Defence Forces headquarters, which will be headed up by what is called a CHOD, which is a military term for a chief of defence. We envisage that the cyber role of the Defence Forces will be increasingly important in security terms. People...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cybersecurity Policy (28 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: More generally on the wage issue, let us not forget that the Defence Forces are part of the public sector pay negotiation. Both PDFORRA, which has been campaigning on this issue for years, and the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO, asked me to facilitate the associate membership of their organisations in the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, for the purposes of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cybersecurity Policy (28 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: Yes, but it will have to change within public sector pay policy. That is not to say that we cannot strategically use allowances within the Defence Forces in a way that perhaps gets better outcomes and the commission makes some recommendations in that regard. Undoubtedly, we have to find a way of ensuring that we have a sufficient number of specialists, particularly in the cybersecurity...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ukraine War (28 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 80 and 108 together. My Department, along with the Defence Forces and the Civil Defence, has been working across Government to provide a range of supports in response to the Ukrainian crisis. Following a direct request from Ukraine, the Defence Forces has provided approximately 10 tonnes or 5,000 units of ready-to-eat meals and 200...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ukraine War (28 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: We want to do more but where we can do more is where Ireland has skill sets and credibility. I referred to training programmes earlier. There has been a specific request for training on demining. This is something in which the Irish Defence Force has specific expertise. We have been involved in demining training programmes in Afghanistan and Mali. This is something we should pursue. I...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Policies (28 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: Ireland’s participation in European defence policy takes place within the framework of the European Union's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), which sets the EU’s policy in the field of defence and crisis management, including defence cooperation and coordination between Member States.  CSDP provides the EU with the capacity to undertake peacekeeping and...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (28 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: In March 2022, the Government approved the continued deployment of up to twenty (20) members of the Permanent Defence Force for service with EUTM Mali up to March 2023.  Defence Forces personnel are primarily deployed at Koulikoro and Bamako, but deploy as part of Combined Mobile Advisory Training Teams within Mali.  EUTM Mali is an integral part of the EU’s...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (28 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney:  I am fully committed to ensuring that every member of the Defence Forces has the right to undertake their duties in a safe environment underpinned by dignity and equality.  As the Deputy is aware, there was extensive engagement with the Women of Honour Group and other stakeholders, on the establishment of an Independent Review to examine issues relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Naval Service (28 Jun 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Government has previously acknowledged the recruitment and retention difficulties in the Naval Service which are presenting ongoing challenges.  In response to these challenges, I approved a comprehensive Naval Service Regeneration Plan in 2021 which is being progressed and monitored by a high-level civil/military team.  The aim of the Plan is to address the issues facing the...