Results 8,361-8,380 of 17,012 for speaker:Paul Kehoe

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Personnel Data (16 May 2017)

Paul Kehoe: The Defence Forces are a 24/7 organisation and personnel can be called upon at any time to undertake duties in relation to the tasks assigned by Government. The nature of the training and the roles discharged by members of the Defence Forces can range from general office duties, to education and instruction to security duties that can be for periods of 24 hours each. In addition, when on...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Remuneration (16 May 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 614 and 615 together. The information requested is set out in tables 1 and 2 in respect of the ranks specified. Table 1 shows those members of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) who were on a basic pay scale point only of less than €24,518 on 31 December for each of the years in question, while Table 2 shows those members who were on a basic pay scale...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Naval Service Operations (16 May 2017)

Paul Kehoe: Following a Government Decision on 12 May 2015, the Irish Naval Vessel, L.É. Eithne, was deployed to the Mediterranean on 16 May, 2015, to assist the Italian Authorities with the migrant crisis. Two further vessels were deployed, L.É. Niamh and L.É. Samuel Beckett, and the deployment was completed on 29 November 2015. During the period May to November 2015, a total of 8,592...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Workplace Relations Commission (16 May 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I wish to inform the Deputy, by way of follow up to question number 822 answered on 11 April, 2017 there have been no adjudications made by the Workplace Relations Commission that have not been accepted in respect of my Department in the period 1 January 2015 to 11 April 2017.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Properties (16 May 2017)

Paul Kehoe: As you are aware the Curragh Forum was established to enable key stakeholders of the Curragh Plains to meet and contribute to the ongoing management, protection and future development of the Plains. Membership of the Forum, which is chaired by the Department of Defence, includes representatives from the Defence Forces, an Garda Siochana, Curragh Racecourse, Curragh Racehorse Trainers and...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Remuneration (17 May 2017)

Paul Kehoe: As the Deputy will be aware the Pay Commission report was only published last week and contains a comprehensive and detailed analysis of pay and pensions issues in the public sector and notably addresses issues surrounding recruitment and retention. I can assure the Deputy that my Department is acutely aware of the commission's findings. The Deputy may wish to note that my Department...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Remuneration (17 May 2017)

Paul Kehoe: Having read the document on the report of the Public Service Pay Commission published last week I have no doubt that it addresses the needs and concerns of the Defence Forces. Anyone who has read the report will recognise that they are covered comprehensively. I agree with the Deputy this is not just about pay but there are several issues concerning retention in this document. As I...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Remuneration (17 May 2017)

Paul Kehoe: The Deputy can rest assured that I will be making the strongest case possible as I have done to date. I spoke at length yesterday at Cabinet on this and personally to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. This is part two of the replacement of the Lansdowne Road agreement. It is up for the public pay talks. PDFORRA and RACO will be invited to those talks where they can put their...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Ministerial Transport (17 May 2017)

Paul Kehoe: Let me be clear that no decision was ever taken to prioritise the ministerial air transport service over the provision of top cover for search and rescue missions. When I was informed of the situation in the Air Corps regarding its plan to suspend the standby roster for out-of-hours and weekend contingencies, I directed that a meeting be held immediately between Department officials and the...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Ministerial Transport (17 May 2017)

Paul Kehoe: Let me address the Deputy's first matter first. Ministerial air transport missions are, by their nature, scheduled services where flights are pre-arranged. The standby roster did not service ministerial air transport missions. Standing down the ministerial air transport service was not a solution for the roster and would not improve the availability of services by the Air Corps. The...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Ministerial Transport (17 May 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I have been informed that pilots are rated on specific aircraft, which means they have specific flying hours and so on. Anyone who is able to fly a Learjet would have gone through CASA training. I am not aware of the issue raised by the Deputy, but I will revert to him. This is about the safety of whatever mission is required by the Air Corps. The people involved must be highly qualified...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Air Corps Strength (17 May 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I wish to reassure the Deputy that the manpower requirements of the Permanent Defence Force are monitored on an ongoing basis in accordance with the operational requirements of the three services. Personnel are posted on the basis of operational need across the organisation at home and abroad. As there is a significant turnover of personnel in the Defence Forces, targeted recruitment takes...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Air Corps Strength (17 May 2017)

Paul Kehoe: Once I had sight of that memo, I told the Department and Defence Forces personnel within the Air Corps to sit down and look at exactly what services were under pressure. We were told about ATCs and I have people training in air traffic control at this moment in time. We have the highest number of cadet pilots going through the cadetship programme at this moment in time. I have increased...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Air Corps Strength (17 May 2017)

Paul Kehoe: This has been a long-standing tradition of service-level agreements.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Air Corps Strength (17 May 2017)

Paul Kehoe: It is a situation which obtained prior to me coming into this office, prior to the time of Deputy Coveney and prior to the time of the previous Minister, Alan Shatter. It goes back to the days when Fianna Fáil was in power. A service-level agreement was put in place between the Department of Transport and the HSE. I stand to be corrected, but I am almost certain that it was a Fianna...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Retirements (17 May 2017)

Paul Kehoe: As the Deputy will appreciate, military life places unique physical and psychological demands on individuals and it is necessary that Defence Forces personnel are physically and mentally prepared to meet the challenges of all military operations and to undertake their duties on deployment overseas.  To this end, it is vital that the age and health profile of personnel be such as to...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Retirements (17 May 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I do not accept there is a crisis in morale in the Irish Defence Forces. Actually I would say the opposite. We have issues and challenges, I will accept that, but we do not have a crisis of morale. The reason I say this is when we advertised in February this year for enlisted personnel and for the cadetship of 2017 more than 9,000 people, young men and women from throughout Ireland,...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Retirements (17 May 2017)

Paul Kehoe: As I stated previously, there are 57,000 recipients of family income supplement, not alone in the Defence Forces but throughout the public service and the private sector. I am not sure whether the Deputy has had an opportunity to read the report of the Public Service Pay Commission of May 2017. I ask him to read it. If he looks at it he will see how the Defence Forces are recognised and...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Naval Service (17 May 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I thank the Deputy for his question. The Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006 establishes the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority, SFPA, as the competent authority for securing efficient and effective enforcement of sea fisheries protection legislation and the sustainable exploitation of marine fish resources from the waters around Ireland. To this end, the SFPA has a service...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Naval Service (17 May 2017)

Paul Kehoe: As I already stated, the fishery protection centre located at the naval base in the Haulbowline is operated by the Naval Service on a 24-7 basis. I absolutely totally agree with the Deputy. One of the issues I found when I came into the Department was that prior to the Irish Naval Service deploying to the Mediterranean and getting television, radio and media coverage, many people in Ireland...