Results 141-160 of 3,839 for speaker:Lisa Chambers

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (30 Jun 2016)

Lisa Chambers: RACO and PDFORRA could be included in the scoping phase of the project.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (30 Jun 2016)

Lisa Chambers: My apologies, Chairman.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (30 Jun 2016)

Lisa Chambers: There are only two organisations.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (30 Jun 2016)

Lisa Chambers: Are they even aware of the projects?

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (30 Jun 2016)

Lisa Chambers: Through the Chair, do they know what the projects are?

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (30 Jun 2016)

Lisa Chambers: Yes. Has incentivised leave been explored in terms of a retention policy? Has a scheme been costed? Will it be considered? The Minister of State has already touched on, as have I, the high attrition rate in the Defence Forces. Around the five year mark we are losing highly trained officers. A lot of money is spent on training people so it would be worth giving people the option of a...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (30 Jun 2016)

Lisa Chambers: Are soldiers being requested to provide a PRTB form when applying for a change of station allowance? If the Department does not generate the document then it is unfair to ask applicants to produce it and a lease agreement should suffice.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (30 Jun 2016)

Lisa Chambers: Can the Minister of State tell me whether the annual expenditure on this allowance has increased or decreased?

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (30 Jun 2016)

Lisa Chambers: That is an excellent idea as it will show we are being proactive in this area. In fairness to the Minister, he has stated on many occasions that he is open to hearing the ideas of other members on how to address the problems we are facing in respect of the Reserve Defence Force. Speakers touched on the social benefits of membership of the Reserve. This is not only an issue of our defence...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (30 Jun 2016)

Lisa Chambers: The Estimate for pensions for 2016 is approximately €4 million less than it was last year. If, as it appears, more people will be in receipt of a pension, how will it be possible to spend less? The Estimate under A2 for 2015 is €218.6 million. This is over €3 million more than the original Revised Estimate for 2015, published in late 2014. For each of the four...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (30 Jun 2016)

Lisa Chambers: I am finding it difficult to understand that while the Estimate for 2016 is €4 million less than the final figure for last year, we have greater pension expenditure requirements to meet. I just do not understand how we are squaring that. It seems like a deliberate under-estimation with a view to definitely requiring a Supplementary Estimate later in the year.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (30 Jun 2016)

Lisa Chambers: Yes.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (30 Jun 2016)

Lisa Chambers: There is clearly continuous structural under-provision for pensions, and one is required to make gains or savings across the Defence Forces budget. We are in a situation in which the Defence Forces are effectively cannibalising themselves because they are making savings on an annual basis. Operational capability is skeletal now. The Defence Forces are being pushed constantly to make...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (30 Jun 2016)

Lisa Chambers: I got it yesterday. I thank the Minister of State.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (30 Jun 2016)

Lisa Chambers: Staff numbers.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (30 Jun 2016)

Lisa Chambers: Personnel numbers affect capability.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (30 Jun 2016)

Lisa Chambers: If we were looking at an average number, we would not under-recruit every single year. Why is there not a year in which we slightly over-recruit and actually go above what we believe we will need? Every year we under-recruit. Let us turn that around and perhaps over-provide to at least give us some possibility of some day reaching the ceiling. At the current rate of recruitment, we will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology (6 Jul 2016)

Lisa Chambers: 104. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his short-term and medium-term plans for the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, given the latest figures confirming that it carried a budget deficit of €2.46 million during the 2014-15 financial year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20015/16]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology (6 Jul 2016)

Lisa Chambers: 105. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reserves he refers to when he states the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology has reserves which can be used to meet its deficit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20016/16]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology (6 Jul 2016)

Lisa Chambers: 106. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will allocate more funding to the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, if required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20017/16]