Results 9,321-9,340 of 17,012 for speaker:Paul Kehoe

Other Questions: Naval Service Operations (24 Jan 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I gave Deputy Bríd Smith every opportunity to speak and I am addressing the question she asked. I am giving Deputy Smith my view and I have listened to her view. I fully appreciate her view and I take it on board, but I hope she will listen to my view as well. We could opt not to train the Libyan coast guard, let these unseaworthy vessels leave the Libyan coast only to sink one,...

Other Questions: Naval Service Operations (24 Jan 2018)

Paul Kehoe: Up to November 2017, a total of 201 Libyan personnel have completed training, comprising mainly basic training. The training has been delivered in formal classroom settings in Italy, Malta, Greece and at sea. An eight-week patrol boat crew training course was recently completed at the Italian naval school in Taranto. Training is being provided by various EU agencies and NGOs. Further...

Other Questions: Naval Service Operations (24 Jan 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I will wait until Deputy Danny Healy-Rae is finished his telephone call.

Other Questions: Naval Service Operations (24 Jan 2018)

Paul Kehoe: Would I not be interrupting the telephone call?

Other Questions: Naval Service Operations (24 Jan 2018)

Paul Kehoe: Deputy Healy-Rae may tell the person on the other end that I said "Hello".

Other Questions: Naval Service Operations (24 Jan 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I do not believe the assertions of Deputy Daly. She is leaving out one point. Deputy Daly is right on some parts, but what about the thousands of people who leave the coast of Libya but do not get far? They are losing their lives on unseaworthy vessels. That is one of the reasons we are training the Libyan coast guard. It is to stop some of these unseaworthy vessels. As part of...

Other Questions: Naval Service Operations (24 Jan 2018)

Paul Kehoe: The EU takes a comprehensive approach. It is involved in capacity building in many countries, including Libya. We should be able to assist in helping the democratic instructions as peacekeepers, and that is what we are doing. Part of our peacekeeping approach is to help democratic institutions to become established. That is the way we are trying to do this. We are helping migrants but...

Other Questions: Naval Service Operations (24 Jan 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I do not accept the Deputy's assertions and I definitely do not accept his assertion that Operation Sophia is a military operation. I accept that we are part of a different mission now. We were part of Operation Pontus, which was independent of ourselves, and we are now part of the EU-mandated mission. This mission operates under the triple lock and went through Government and the...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Medicinal Products (24 Jan 2018)

Paul Kehoe: As previously advised, the report of the working group on malaria chemoprophylaxis was convened in the context of current and potential litigation and is therefore legally privileged and will not be published. The working group has made a total of 12 recommendations, which are intended to ensure that the Defence Forces' medical policies and practices continually develop in light of best...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Medicinal Products (24 Jan 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I am no medical officer but I have been advised by the chief medical officer of the Irish Defence Forces that lariam is the most appropriate course of drugs to give to members of the Defence Forces in the areas where it is required. I have every confidence in the working group and its recommendations. I will accept those recommendations but it will take some time to implement some of them....

Other Questions: Defence Forces Medicinal Products (24 Jan 2018)

Paul Kehoe: The Deputy will be aware that the State Claims Agency manages all personal injury cases on behalf of myself and my Department. The case was settled on 30 November without admission of liability and the plaintiff withdrew any part of his claim that related to the choice of lariam by the defendants as a chemoprophylactic. The Deputy will also be aware that all other matters are settled and...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Representative Organisations (24 Jan 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I have told the Deputy from whom I got my information, namely, the flag officer commanding of the Naval Service. Perhaps the Deputy will tell me from where he got his information. I might be able to go and educate that person and tell him exactly how many ships we have operating.

Other Questions: Defence Forces Representative Organisations (24 Jan 2018)

Paul Kehoe: The proposed legislation to which the Deputy refers arises from recommendations contained in the first report of the working group on industrial relations structures for an Garda Síochána. It is not proposed at this stage to make similar legislative provisions in respect of the Defence Forces. I have initiated a review of the conciliation and arbitration scheme for members of...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Representative Organisations (24 Jan 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I speak to the ranks as well. They are probably the most important people within the organisation because they are the people on the ground. If the Deputy wants to pass on my details, I will talk to that member of the ranks as well. It would be totally inappropriate of me to expect the outcome of the conciliation and arbitration scheme or any legislative changes that may be required....

Other Questions: Protected Disclosures (24 Jan 2018)

Paul Kehoe: As the Deputy is no doubt aware, section 16 of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 sets out confidentiality requirements regarding the protection of the identity of a discloser. Therefore it is not possible for me to go into detail in respect of any actions being taken on foot of an individual disclosure so as to ensure that such individuals confidentiality is not breached. However, as I...

Other Questions: Protected Disclosures (24 Jan 2018)

Paul Kehoe: There is absolutely no cover-up whatsoever. The Deputy's question was very broad. She did not actually ask on a specific case. Now that she has raised a more specific matter, I take it that she is referring to the protected disclosure that was made in late 2015 and the two that were made in 2016. Earlier, in reply to Deputy Ó Snodaigh, I outlined the process I went through - the...

Other Questions: Protected Disclosures (24 Jan 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I have outlined to the House the actions I have taken on the accusations that were placed around the Forbairt report. I will come back to the House to outline the next steps to be taken on this issue. I take this matter extremely seriously and as I said earlier I have met with the personnel who have made the protected disclosures. I have appointed the independent reviewer and I will...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Permanent Structured Co-operation (24 Jan 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9, 21, 23, 24, 31 and 37 together. Under the Defence Acts, the deployment of the Defence Forces overseas on peacekeeping missions requires the approval of the Government and Dáil Éireann and the specific mission must be authorised by the United Nations Security Council. This is what is termed the “triple-lock”. The United...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Recruitment (24 Jan 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10, 42 and 43 together. The Government is committed to maintaining the strength of the Permanent Defence Force at 9,500 personnel, as set out in the White Paper on Defence. To achieve this, there is significant on-going recruitment. In 2017 some 751 new personnel were inducted into the Permanent Defence Force, comprising of...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Common Security and Defence Policy (24 Jan 2018)

Paul Kehoe: Sharing strategic interests and facing similar security challenges, NATO and the European Union cooperate on issues of common interest, particularly in the areas of crisis management and capability development.  A key focus of this cooperation is to avoid duplication of effort in the development of military capabilities and in structures, systems and interoperability standards....