Results 11,901-11,920 of 17,012 for speaker:Paul Kehoe

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Representative Organisations (7 Nov 2019)

Paul Kehoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 and 10 together. Section 2(3) of the Defence (Amendment) Act 1990 prohibits the Defence Forces representative associations from being associated with or affiliated to any trade union or any other body without the consent of the Minister. Members of the Permanent Defence Force also cannot become members of a trade union. To compensate for these...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Representative Organisations (7 Nov 2019)

Paul Kehoe: In 2017, the European Committee of Social Rights considered a complaint submitted by the European Organisation of Military Associations and Trade Unions, EUROMIL, on behalf of PDFORRA, concerning the lack of certain rights for military representative associations in Ireland. I am acutely aware of everyone's concerns in this regard, including those of military management and RACO, and I am...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Representative Organisations (7 Nov 2019)

Paul Kehoe: There are other countries with associate and full membership. The Belgian Armed Forces have full trade union status. Belgium allows affiliation to national trade union bodies. Danish Defence has full trade union status but not the right to strike. Denmark allows affiliation to national trade union bodies. The Swedish Armed Forces have full trade union status. They have the right to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: White Paper on Defence (7 Nov 2019)

Paul Kehoe: I thank the Deputy. The White Paper on Defence sets out the Government's decision to put in place a fixed cycle of defence reviews. These are common internationally and give assurance that policy remains up to date and relevant to changing future circumstances. The White Paper provides that these reviews are to have a three-yearly cycle, with every second review being more comprehensive in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: White Paper on Defence (7 Nov 2019)

Paul Kehoe: I presume the Deputy's text message was a bit delayed coming in. First, one of the reasons the White Paper has not been published is that despite the fact I wrote to the committee, on which the Deputy sits, in early 2018, the earliest I could get in to discuss the White Paper was 5 March 2019. That delayed it for a considerable number of months. I tried and I wrote to the committee again....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: White Paper on Defence (7 Nov 2019)

Paul Kehoe: The White Paper update has not gone to Cabinet-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: White Paper on Defence (7 Nov 2019)

Paul Kehoe: -----so it would be totally inappropriate for me to discuss the details within the update prior to Cabinet scrutiny. I can assure the Deputy that recruitment and retention remains one of the key priorities for me, as Minister of State. It is entailed in the White Paper, it is in the implementation plan and it is in the Public Service Pay Commission report. There is much work ongoing on...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: White Paper on Defence (7 Nov 2019)

Paul Kehoe: I have no issue whatsoever with being held accountable. What I am saying is that it was within the agreement of the White Paper that I would have to bring it to the committee, a committee on which the Deputy sits. I waited for months and months to get into the committee to have this signed off on.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: White Paper on Defence (7 Nov 2019)

Paul Kehoe: Had I got into the committee when I wrote to it originally, I would have had this published. The Deputy is failing in his responsibilities as a committee member.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: White Paper on Defence (7 Nov 2019)

Paul Kehoe: The Deputy is not a member of the defence committee. He is the spokesperson on defence but he is not a member of the defence committee. That says a lot. I am bringing the White Paper update to Cabinet and it would be totally inappropriate for me to discuss it here in the Chamber before bringing it to Government. However, I have no problem whatsoever in discussing the update of the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: UN Missions (7 Nov 2019)

Paul Kehoe: I have the correspondence to hand. I wrote to the committee and I had to wait a number of months to get into the committee.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: UN Missions (7 Nov 2019)

Paul Kehoe: I did not smear anybody. The Deputy should talk to his party leader and ask to see if he could become a member of the committee.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: UN Missions (7 Nov 2019)

Paul Kehoe: As of 3 October 2019, Ireland is contributing 692 personnel to ten different missions throughout the world and also to a range of international organisations and national representations. The main overseas missions in which Defence Forces personnel are currently deployed are the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, with 459 personnel, and the United Nations Disengagement Observer...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: UN Missions (7 Nov 2019)

Paul Kehoe: I reiterate that, as of 3 October last, 692 personnel were on ten different missions: 441 in UNIFIL; 12 in Israel and Syria; three in MINURSO, in Western Sahara; 135 in UNDOF; 13 in MINUSMA; five in EUFOR, in Bosnia and Herzegovina; 20 in EUTM Mali; 12 in KFOR; and three in the Operation Sofia headquarters. The Department of Defence constantly reviews the deployment of Defence Forces...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: UN Missions (7 Nov 2019)

Paul Kehoe: I will talk to him-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: UN Missions (7 Nov 2019)

Paul Kehoe: -----about the missions that are in operation and whether there are any other requests.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: UN Missions (7 Nov 2019)

Paul Kehoe: I will respond to Deputy Ó Snodaigh's question first. Much of that is totally beyond our control. The Deputy wants to blame the Government - that is what one does when in opposition - or blame me-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: UN Missions (7 Nov 2019)

Paul Kehoe: -----but I assure him that I have spoken to Jean-Pierre Lacroix and our ambassador in Lebanon about this issue. If the deployment finishes on the first day of a given month, we should never specifically state that it will finish on the first day but rather that it will finish in and around that week because, crossing the border, very significant diplomatic incidents happen and problems and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Strength (7 Nov 2019)

Paul Kehoe: The military authorities have advised that the strength of the PDF across all services on 30 September 2019 was 8,654 personnel. While I am very much aware that there continues to be a shortfall between the current strength figures and those of the establishment, I remain committed to restoring the strength of the Defence Forces to 9,500 personnel. The 2019 recruitment campaign for the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Strength (7 Nov 2019)

Paul Kehoe: I absolutely have. A plan is being implemented in conjunction with the Public Service Pay Commission. There is a joint civil and military working team working on that at the moment in a dedicated office, looking at all the recommendations of the independent pay commission report. We are also looking at non-pay issues such as hot-desking, family-friendly overseas appointments,...