Results 9,141-9,160 of 17,012 for speaker:Paul Kehoe

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Reserve (12 Dec 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I am determined to ensure that the Reserve Defence Force does not go into decline, but my number one priority must be recruitment to the PDF and getting its strength back up to 9,500 personnel. As I stated in my reply, the Reserve and the Naval Service Reserve began their recruitment campaign in July 2017 and attracted 1,221 applications, and 128 personnel have been inducted so far in 2017....

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Reserve (12 Dec 2017)

Paul Kehoe: One of the areas the Deputy referred to was recruitment. I had a long conversation with the RDFRA about this and I have asked my Department, the Defence Forces and RDFRA to discuss what RDFRA wants out of the recruitment process, the way in which it wants it run and, if it has any ideas in this regard, to bring them to both the relevant civil and military bodies and ensure RDFRA knows the...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Pensions (12 Dec 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I take it that the Deputy is referring to the absence of the concept of "supplementary pensions" from the provisions of the single public service pension scheme. The occupational pension scheme terms of post-1 January 2013 new entrants to the public service, including the PDF, are governed by the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012. All first-time new...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Pensions (12 Dec 2017)

Paul Kehoe: 5 o’clock This issue was raised on numerous occasions at meetings of the representative associations. As a consequence, officials in my Department and association delegates met with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to discuss it. I take Deputy Daly's point that if a member who was recruited before 1 January 2013 retires from the Permanent Defence Force at a...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Pensions (12 Dec 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I agree that Defence Forces members are different from other public servants. The Deputy may be aware that I have undertaken to review the contracts of recruits from 1994 and 2006. The change we are discussing will not affect anybody immediately, being applicable only to those who joined after 1 January 2013. This means it will be 2040 or perhaps the mid-2040s before there is an impact on...

Other Questions: Army Barracks (12 Dec 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 48, 59, 79 and 82 together. As part of a whole-of-government approach, my Department is engaged in forward planning with the other Departments involved in addressing all issues relevant to the United Kingdom decision to exit the European Union. Recruitment to the Defence Forces is at an historically high level. By the end of October, 702 personnel...

Other Questions: Army Barracks (12 Dec 2017)

Paul Kehoe: It is a matter for An Garda Síochána to request the assistance of the Defence Forces. Following the successful talks last week on the European stage and between the Government and its British counterpart, I do not foresee a need for members of the Defence Forces to be stationed once again along the Border. Nobody in this House wants to see that. If the support of the Defence...

Other Questions: Army Barracks (12 Dec 2017)

Paul Kehoe: There are no plans to reopen any of the barracks that were closed during the recent reorganisation of the Defence Forces. I absolutely take the Deputy's comments on board but while the purpose of the Defence Forces is to protect the security of the State, it would be totally irresponsible to say that they have a role to play such as that suggested by the Deputy. The role of Defence Forces...

Other Questions: Army Barracks (12 Dec 2017)

Paul Kehoe: As the Minister of State with responsibility for defence, it is my priority to ensure the operational capability of the Defence Forces is maintained to its greatest possible extent to enable the Army, the Air Corps and the Naval Service to carry out all of their roles as assigned by the Government. I have been assured by the Chief of Staff that, in providing aid to the civil power or in the...

Other Questions: Army Barracks (12 Dec 2017)

Paul Kehoe: -----but that is a matter for the Minister for Justice and Equality. The Deputy should raise that matter with the Minister.

Other Questions: Army Barracks (12 Dec 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I absolutely disagree with Deputy Niamh Smyth. If members of the Defence Forces were patrolling local communities across the Border region, it would totally send out the wrong message. Such a deployment would be absolutely and completely inappropriate. I am personally opposed to it. As already stated, if An Garda Síochána requests that members of the Defence Forces be deployed...

Other Questions: Army Barracks (12 Dec 2017)

Paul Kehoe: We are a totally new generation of people and I do not want my children or those of anybody else to have to remember the Defence Forces stationed on the Border.

Other Questions: Defence Forces Strength (12 Dec 2017)

Paul Kehoe: From the most recent figures available, as of 31 October 2017, the strength of the Permanent Defence Force stood at 9,219 whole-time equivalent, WTE, personnel. In recent years, the levels of departures have exceeded intakes and this has presented challenges in meeting the establishment strength of 9,500 personnel. To fill vacancies, there is significant ongoing recruitment at both enlisted...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Strength (12 Dec 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I would be the first to state we have faced challenges in fulfilling our gender targets. I have asked both civil and military management to look at recent recruitment campaigns and to establish the number of female applicants for the Permanent Defence Force, and how many may have fallen off by the time of interview or around the time of the medical and fitness test. This is very important...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Strength (12 Dec 2017)

Paul Kehoe: The Army has by far the highest number of applications within the Permanent Defence Force. On pensions, a review is under way for all contracts of enlisted personnel from 1994 to 2006. Over the past two to three years we have been losing young, fit men and women who have the capability and capacity to give another ten years or more to the Permanent Defence Force. I announced this review...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Expenditure (12 Dec 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I am pleased to inform the House that yesterday, at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, Ireland joined the other 24 EU partners in collectively launching PESCO. Joining PESCO does not involve an additional cost to the Exchequer. Additional costs may arise in respect of participation in specific PESCO projects similar to the case where the Defence Forces participate in European...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Expenditure (12 Dec 2017)

Paul Kehoe: The White Paper on Defence clearly states there will be ongoing investment in the Defence Forces. I have stated this on numerous occasions, here in the Chamber last week, before the select committee last Wednesday evening and in replies to parliamentary questions over the past 12 to 18 months. PESCO is provided for in the Treaty on European Union in Articles 42.6 and 46 and Protocol 10,...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Expenditure (12 Dec 2017)

Paul Kehoe: That will be a matter for the Dáil and, as an elected Member of this House, the Deputy has an opportunity to vote on the annual budget for the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces. That is where the money comes from - it is State funding and we have committed to increasing defence spending, in both the programme for Government and the White Paper.

Other Questions: Defence Forces Expenditure (12 Dec 2017)

Paul Kehoe: Why do we fund hospitals or education?

Other Questions: Defence Forces Expenditure (12 Dec 2017)

Paul Kehoe: It is easy to trot this sort of stuff out but last Wednesday evening I spent an hour and a half in committee, where I was asked the exact same question about why this was taken out of the blue. I have answered questions in the Oireachtas, both written and oral, on PESCO. I answered written questions on the matter on 16 December 2016, 17 May 2017, 12 July 2017 and 22 November 2017, and I...