Results 5,281-5,300 of 17,012 for speaker:Paul Kehoe
- Defence Forces Review (13 Dec 2011)
Paul Kehoe: This is a ministerial decision for the Minister for Defence, Deputy Shatter. He asks the Department to come up with a proposal. Both the defence and departmental sides would work together and return to the Minister with a proposal for him to make a decision. There was very little consultation on the decentralisation of the Department of Defence. This is a decision the Minister must make...
- Defence Forces Review (13 Dec 2011)
Paul Kehoe: This is a ministerial decision. The Minister has asked the Department and Chief of Staff to make proposals in this regard. They were consulted on this by the Minister.
- Overseas Missions (13 Dec 2011)
Paul Kehoe: The only UN-led mission in which the Defence Forces are currently participating is the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL. The total amount owing to the Department of Defence by the United Nations as of 30 November 2011 in respect of contributions towards troop and other costs associated with the participation of Defence Forces personnel in UN missions is approximately â¬11.66...
- Overseas Missions (13 Dec 2011)
Paul Kehoe: In any case where money is owed, there will always be negotiations. That is what is happening at present in respect of the mission to Chad. I assure the Deputy that all debts will be collected and the Department is working vigorously to this end.
- Defence Forces Review (13 Dec 2011)
Paul Kehoe: A value for money review, VFM, of the Reserve Defence Force commenced in February 2010. In the interim period the EU-IMF deal was signed. The requisite fiscal consolidation which was a part of this deal has a direct bearing on the level of resourcing available for the Defence Forces. This in turn is linked to the framing of future plans for the organisation of the Defence Forces, including...
- Defence Forces Review (13 Dec 2011)
Paul Kehoe: I will find out when the Green Paper will be available and pass the information on to the Deputy. As the Deputy understands, when the funding envelope of the Permanent Defence Force is reduced, this must be mirrored in the Reserve Defence Force. The Deputy asked about the funding available. The envelope available to the Defence Forces for 2012 was reported in last week's budget. There...
- Defence Forces Review (13 Dec 2011)
Paul Kehoe: I can assure the Deputy there are no plans to abolish the Reserve Defence Force. The proposals regarding the future development of the Reserve Defence Force arising from the value for money review and the wider reorganisation proposals for the Defence Forces as a whole will be introduced in due course. I assure the Deputy there will be consultation with everybody involved, but there are no...
- Defence Forces Review (13 Dec 2011)
Paul Kehoe: To reply to Deputy O'Brien first, when there are changes in the Permanent Defence Force, there are generally changes within the Reserve Defence Force. No proposals have been brought forward and the Minister has not made a formal proposal on that. Realistically, however, if there are changes to the Permanent Defence Force, there will be other changes. I am not saying what the changes will...
- Defence Forces Review (13 Dec 2011)
Paul Kehoe: I presume the Minister will take that into consideration when he is making a decision. On Deputy Bannon's point about the value for money review, I can assure him that the Minister is very aware of the important role the buildings and structures play in the community. Every alternative use will be examined and the Minister will take account of any proposal when considering the future of the...
- Industrial Disputes (13 Dec 2011)
Paul Kehoe: Last month, in the context of an ongoing dispute between the local authority fire service and a number of its retained fire fighters, a request was received by my Department, in accordance with procedures in place, from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government for the Defence Forces to provide assistance to Roscommon County Council in the maintenance of essential fire...
- Industrial Disputes (13 Dec 2011)
Paul Kehoe: I can assure the Deputy that the Defence Forces undermined nobody's authority. They were called upon on an emergency basis, which I very much welcome. That is their role. I have no doubt that if firefighters in the Deputy's constituency were on strike and her house went on fire she would very much welcome, in the event of the county council not being available to put out the fire, the...
- Industrial Disputes (13 Dec 2011)
Paul Kehoe: That is the Deputy's stance on the issue. It is about saving lives if they are requested to do so, as well as safety and emergencies. The Deputy is entitled to her opinion but it would not be the opinion of many outside the House. They want emergency services available to them, whether it is the Defence Forces or others. I can assure the Deputy that nobody's authority was undermined. The...
- Industrial Disputes (13 Dec 2011)
Paul Kehoe: No, the health services can also call on them.
- Naval Service (13 Dec 2011)
Paul Kehoe: The contract price for the provision of two new offshore patrol vessels for the Naval Service is â¬99 million, exclusive of VAT, and subject to contract terms and final agreed costs. In addition, the cost of providing a weapons system for the ships, similar to the systems on LE Roisin and LE Niamh, will be â¬7.8 million, exclusive of VAT. The contract for the two ships was placed with...
- Naval Service (13 Dec 2011)
Paul Kehoe: I am not aware of any outstanding equipment for which the Naval Service is waiting. I am not sure if the Minister, Deputy Shatter, has been made aware of any such request. I can assure the Deputy that the two new ships will be put to very good use. They are needed within the Naval Service. We are all aware of the excellent work it carries out on a daily basis in very difficult and...
- Naval Service (13 Dec 2011)
Paul Kehoe: Yes, the next staged payment is â¬12 million and is scheduled for the end of March 2012, with an accompanying VAT liability of â¬2.7 million falling payable.
- Naval Service (13 Dec 2011)
Paul Kehoe: I am not certain when the next two ships are planned for replacement. However, as a person from a coastal county myself, I assure the Deputy that I am mindful of the very important job carried out by the Naval Service. The Taoiseach recently travelled on one of the naval vessels and was greatly impressed by the extensive work carried out and the important nature of that work, whether in...
- Naval Service (13 Dec 2011)
Paul Kehoe: A sum of â¬900,000 was recently approved for that purpose and paid by the Commission. It is unlikely that further funding will be available from the EU, but this will not deter the Department or the Naval Service from seeking further moneys. I assure the Deputy that we will seek to maximise any funding possibilities that arise. When buying ships or other equipment, we will always...
- Departmental Expenditure (13 Dec 2011)
Paul Kehoe: The gross capital provision for my Department and the Defence Forces for the coming year, as set out in the recently published Estimates for Public Services 2012, is â¬9 million. The Estimates also provide for a carryover from 2011 of â¬500,000. Some â¬2.8 million of the capital budget has been allocated to provide for the upgrade and replacement of existing information technology...
- Departmental Expenditure (13 Dec 2011)
Paul Kehoe: There will be a minimum amount spent in upgrading the consolidated barracks. We are not yet certain exactly what investment will be required as the process of consolidation is still in the very early stages. I do not have detailed information on capital projects cancelled or postponed. There has been significant capital investment in different areas in recent years.