Results 12,321-12,340 of 17,012 for speaker:Paul Kehoe

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Air Corps (27 May 2020)

Paul Kehoe: Some €216.2m (excluding VAT) is currently committed to the acquisition of six new aircraft to be provided to the Air Corps. My priority as Minister with Responsibility for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Defence Forces is maintained to the greatest extent possible so as to enable the Defence Forces to carry out their roles as assigned by Government....

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Properties (27 May 2020)

Paul Kehoe: The White Paper on Defence includes a commitment to evaluate the potential development of a new Institute for Peace Support and Leadership Training at the Defence Forces Training Centre in the Curragh, and in this regard a formal feasibility study was undertaken. An interim report was presented to the project steering group in November 2018. A draft final report is currently under...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Schools Site Acquisitions (27 May 2020)

Paul Kehoe: As the Deputy will be aware the provision of schools and associated issues is, in the first instance, a matter for my colleague the Minister for Education and Skills. I can confirm that the Department of Education and Skills wrote to my Department enquiring as to the availability of a suitable site for the provision of a post-primary school from within the Department's property portfolio in...

Covid-19 (Defence): Statements (3 Jun 2020)

Paul Kehoe: I welcome this opportunity to update Deputies on the response of the defence sector to Covid-19. At the outset, I express my deepest condolences to all who have lost loved ones during this pandemic and I wish a full recovery to all those fighting the coronavirus. I will outline the contribution made by the defence sector as part of the overall response of the State to this terrible...

Covid-19 (Defence): Statements (3 Jun 2020)

Paul Kehoe: Deputy Chambers referred to the UNIFIL mission. As he knows, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, cancelled all rotations of all of our UN missions. This was always going to cause some distress to members of the Defence Forces and their families. My Department, the Defence Forces and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade got working to see if we...

Covid-19 (Defence): Statements (3 Jun 2020)

Paul Kehoe: I ask Deputy McAuliffe to write to me about Mr. Halpin and I will follow up on that case for him. I know Deputy Troy was in contact with my office about the rotations and we kept him up-to-date with any information we had on same. I was clear from the start that I did not want any misinformation going out. I said that when we had clarity on the dates of return of personnel from UNIFIL...

Covid-19 (Defence): Statements (3 Jun 2020)

Paul Kehoe: I will not be able to reach them all.

Covid-19 (Defence): Statements (3 Jun 2020)

Paul Kehoe: In my tenure, I have been able to deliver a package of measures worth more than €20 million in increases in Defence Forces pay through the independent pay commission, public sector pay increases, increases in new entrants' pay and outstanding adjudications. There have been increases under various headings. I do not have time to go through the pay of all of the different ranks in the...

Covid-19 (Defence): Statements (3 Jun 2020)

Paul Kehoe: Deputy Ó Snodaigh referred to the plane in which we invested. That was an additional plane; it was not one of the those for which we had planned for last year. It is additional and we decided to invest in it in March.

Covid-19 (Defence): Statements (3 Jun 2020)

Paul Kehoe: As Deputy Peter Burke is very much aware, Columb Barracks, which closed in 2012, is now longer required by the Department of Defence for military purposes. In establishing the Land Development Agency, LDA, at the time, the Government recognised the potential of this site for development as part of meeting housing demand. The LDA has confirmed that Columb Barracks is a key site that is...

Covid-19 (Defence): Statements (3 Jun 2020)

Paul Kehoe: Members coming back from Lebanon have the option of quarantining in their own home or in barracks. Personnel deploying to UNIFIL in Lebanon will go into quarantine together two weeks from departure. I understand arrangements are in place and the chief medical officer of the Defence Forces is very much involved in preparing the quarantine of personnel going to UNIFIL. My Department is...

Covid-19 (Defence): Statements (3 Jun 2020)

Paul Kehoe: There are discussions between PDFORRA and ICTU. This was a recommendation from the recently published C&A scheme, which I recommended at the time. The new C&A scheme is up and running with an independent chair. When the report came out there was a recommendation that the Department would get into discussion with ICTU and discussions are ongoing.

Covid-19 (Defence): Statements (3 Jun 2020)

Paul Kehoe: Can I get back to the Deputy with the exact state of play on that? My understanding is - I can be corrected on this - there is discussion between PDFORRA and ICTU at this time. However, I do not want to say that is the exact state of play, but I will get back to the Deputy with an absolute, full and frank reply on the issue. There is absolutely no delay on my behalf. These discussions are...

Covid-19 (Defence): Statements (3 Jun 2020)

Paul Kehoe: Probably, it will not be a decision for this Government, but it will have to be an issue for the new Government. This is a big decision to be made. I do not believe a caretaker Government should be making a decision of this magnitude. The next Government should make this decision. The Deputy can be reassured that if I had been able to get a decision on this one way or the other, I would...

Covid-19 (Defence): Statements (3 Jun 2020)

Paul Kehoe: A number of claims have been received by my Department regarding people who might have been on leave and who were not able to get back. Those claims have been received from various individuals in varying cases. They state that as a consequence of the travel restrictions on movements back and forth to combat the spread of Covid-19, and specifically UN Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre...

Covid-19 (Defence): Statements (3 Jun 2020)

Paul Kehoe: I am very sympathetic to the financial issues raised by Deputy Sherlock. I wish it was as simple as me writing a cheque, but it is not. The paymaster is the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, as the Deputy is very well aware given that he served in and understands the workings of government. Any financial issues have to go through the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform....

Covid-19 (Defence): Statements (3 Jun 2020)

Paul Kehoe: I wish I had the chequebook. I will revert to the Deputy on Kilworth. I know any returning personnel from overseas are given an opportunity to quarantine in a number of barracks. Kilworth is available to the HSE. Thankfully given that the spread of Covid-19 has slowed somewhat I am not sure what the HSE's plans for Kilworth are, but I can get the Deputy a full reply.

Covid-19 (Defence): Statements (3 Jun 2020)

Paul Kehoe: The Chief of Staff has been tasked with coming up with some options or a discussion paper on this. If we are going to buy such an aircraft we have to ensure that, given that it will be funded by the taxpayers, it will not be used for only 100 days a year. We need to ensure there is due use of this. We need to bring other areas into the discussion as well as the Defence Forces. As I have...

Covid-19 (Defence): Statements (3 Jun 2020)

Paul Kehoe: I met the Chief of Staff and the Secretary General of my Department yesterday. Because of the restrictions on rotations, we had planned on sending three officers to replace the officers who were out there, but that rotation will not take place until after 30 June. The Chief of Staff is in discussions with the head of the mission in MONUSCO and we will be rotating. I have asked the Chief of...

Covid-19 (Defence): Statements (3 Jun 2020)

Paul Kehoe: That decision will be made when I get the reassurances that I have asked the Chief of Staff for. I want to make sure that the safety of all personnel in any of our mission areas is paramount. I am not sure when I will get that from the Chief of Staff, but as soon as I get that we will make a decision on it.