Results 19,421-19,440 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Naval Service Strength (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: I am not quite sure what the Deputy is getting at when he says we could talk about the politics of what we are doing in the Mediterranean.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Naval Service Strength (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: The politics of it are that it is absolutely the right thing to do. The politics of it is that I made a decision that, instead of focusing our resources on fisheries protection, which is what we would normally be doing, we have diverted those resources, with a consequential loss in sea hours. I am not happy about that but I strongly defend the decision to do what we did, which was to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Medicinal Products (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: I totally agree with the Deputy on this. This is about getting the best medical advice, and I also agree with Deputy Crowe. The reason I am a little defensive is that it is not an easy decision. There are some problems with Lariam for some people. I have used Lariam and did not have any side effects, but I am lucky, as other people have experienced side effects. It is about balancing the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Medicinal Products (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: I am not saying "ah sure" anything. I am saying that the working group looked at the issue and came back with the recommendation that on balance we should continue using Lariam. I have asked the group to look at the issue again. That work only started in September and the group will report before the end of the year. This is not a blasé attitude, as the Deputy is suggesting, but...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Medicinal Products (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: Regardless of what I say here, the Deputy will not be satisfied. An ongoing review is taking place which takes into account the experience of Irish troops. That is the point of it. It aims to achieve results that ensure our troops do not get malaria and to assess what side effects there have been for our troops and for people like Mark. I will act, but on the basis of medical advice, as...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Recruitment (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: I am glad to say we are recruiting strongly, because recruitment is needed. The Government is committed to maintaining the stabilised strength of the Permanent Defence Force at 9,500 personnel, comprising 7,520 Army, 886 Air Corps and 1,094 Naval Service personnel, as stated in the 2015 White Paper on Defence. I am advised by the military authorities that the strength of the Permanent...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Recruitment (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: Direct entry competitions are also being held as required from which specialist appointments are being filled. To date, this year 19 instrumentalists have been appointed and five engine room personnel have also been inducted. The Defence Forces school of music and Naval Service accommodated those respectively. It is expected that 25 Air Corps apprentice trainee technicians, a conductor for...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Reserve (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to raise this issue because it is a matter on which we agree. There was a perception among some in the reserve that it would be phased out. I certainly hope the White Paper has put that fear to bed. There is a strong role for reservists in Ireland. The policy now is that they train as one entity with the Defence Forces and we want to build...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Reserve (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: The immediate challenge for both the Army Reserve and Naval Service Reserve is to recruit and train sufficient personnel to meet the respective establishments. A major recruitment campaign last year did not achieve the desired effect with the process yielding only 152 inductees. Following a review of last year's campaign, a number of changes have been introduced. The most recent returns...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Reserve (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: I am not sure about that. What I do know is that it is predicted there will be another 100 inductees by the end of the year, amounting to 400 this year which would be a significant improvement in terms of where we were but we have a long way to go. We approved the White Paper only a couple of months ago. That involves much positive change. In many ways we have a new chapter for the...

Other Questions: Cyber Security Policy (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: The core role of the Defence Forces is to contribute to the security of the State. Military intelligence contributes assessments in respect of State security and the safety and security of the Defence Forces’ personnel deployed overseas on peace support operations and liaises with An Garda Síochána as appropriate on matters of common concern. In relation to cyber-security,...

Other Questions: Cyber Security Policy (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: I am sure I could tell Deputy Daly more, but there are some things I do not tell her in respect of intelligence. Anybody who understands how intelligence works would understand that. We have not done business with this company. Despite what Deputy Daly is trying to portray, we are not doing business with this company. This company is, by the way, doing business all over the world, with...

Other Questions: Cyber Security Policy (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: No, we were not.

Other Questions: Cyber Security Policy (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: It is not irrelevant. Deputy Daly keeps saying we are doing business with this company, but we are not.

Other Questions: Cyber Security Policy (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: There is an obligation on the Defence Forces to make sure they are aware of all the equipment that is out there and how it works and to ensure that we have the best technology available to do a job we need to do. They have an obligation to ensure we have an appropriate intelligence infrastructure in Ireland to give me and others the information that is needed to make informed decisions on...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Deployment (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: A contingent of the Permanent Defence Forces has been deployed to the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, UNDOF, on the Golan Heights since 2013. The current Irish contingent, the 50th Infantry Group, comprising 130 personnel, is based in UNDOF headquarters in Camp Ziouani. It operates in the role of a quick reaction force, which is on standby to assist with ongoing operations...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Deployment (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: First, I would ask other parties to reflect when they call for a reduction in defence spending on the situation in which many of our troops find themselves in parts of the world and their requirement for the equipment and resources they need to ensure their safety. When I am making decisions to increase defence spending, people try to twist that into some kind of hawkish attitude towards...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Deployment (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: That reflects the view of us all. Every time I speak to troops before they leave and speak to their families, I am conscious of that. I wish to reassure families who have sons and daughters and husbands and wives serving in the Golan Heights that we continue to focus on ensuring we are managing risk in an acceptable way. This is a very important mission for the United Nations and it relies...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Military Neutrality (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: The White Paper on Defence, which was published this summer, following a broad and extensive consultative process, did not change Ireland's policy of military neutrality. Our policy of military neutrality remains a core element of Irish foreign policy. The Government’s recent review of foreign policy and the Defence White Paper confirmed that Ireland will continue to maintain a policy...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Recruitment (8 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: It is recognised that the Defence Forces has a limited role in relation to the employment support agenda. Notwithstanding this however,in mapping out the future for Defence in the period ahead, the Government and I consider it important that the Defence Forces contribute to the Government’s commitment to a strengthened approach across the economy to social responsibility.Initiatives in...