Results 2,041-2,060 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: I have fully acknowledged the staffing issues affecting the Defence Forces. Personnel leave the Permanent Defence Force for a number of reasons including on age grounds, at the end of contract and on voluntary discharge. More than 50% of those who leave the Defence Forces do so with some form of pension which can make taking up a position in the private sector very attractive. My focus is...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: The military authorities have provided the following details in relation to the vacancies that existed on 4 October 2022 in the Defence Forces School of Music. Rank Lt Col Comdt Captain Lt CS CQ Sgt Cpl Pte Strength 1 1 3 0 3 1 32 26 43 ...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: Sanction for these posts has recently been received and the process of engagement with the Top Level Appointments Committee has commenced. The recruitment process will be independent of my Department, but I would wish to see the posts filled at the earliest opportunity.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am very cognisant of the fact that the RDF strength level remains lower than the Establishment figure. However, I am aware of the many initiatives in place to recruit individuals to the Reserve. While the commitment to restoring the strength of the RDF is not in doubt, given the competing recruitment demands at present, PDF recruitment is and should remain a priority. I would add also...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Data (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: The event to which the Deputy refers took place on 6 October. Its aim was to provide information to Irish industry and research institutions with a view to identifying opportunities to collaborate on future projects. The event was in support of Irish companies, especially SMEs, and Irish research institutions who are engaged in the development of technologies that enhance the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Properties (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: My Department strictly adheres to the Maternity Protection (Amendment) Act 2004, including the associated Regulations which provide for the protection of mothers who are breastfeeding. My Department has offices in Newbridge, Galway, Roscrea and Dublin. On request, suitable facilities are provided for breastfeeding (or expressing breast milk) in the workplace. These arrangements are in...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Energy Infrastructure (6 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: The new vessels are inshore patrol vessels that can be crewed with fewer people than the ships they are replacing. They are much more efficient and much more modern vessels. I hope they will arrive long before this time next year. I hope to see them in the first quarter, perhaps in January or February. They will primarily be based in the Irish Sea. They will certainly be based there in...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Energy Infrastructure (6 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: We have aircraft now.

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Energy Infrastructure (6 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: We have CASA aircraft but we also have PC-12s and PC-9Ms. Let us not paint the picture that we have no capacity. It is clear that we need to improve our capacity and to invest in subsea surveillance capacity in particular. That needs to be factored into the provision and equipping of new ships coming in, particularly the multirole vessel. This will be a very expensive piece of equipment...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Energy Infrastructure (6 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: We are having the appropriate conversations with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. We are also speaking to the infrastructure owners so that we can respond with the capacity that is available to us in an appropriate way that manages risk. That is about as much as I can say for now. The attacks on Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 surprised a lot of people. They...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Defence Forces (6 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: We are not yet where we need to be as regards planning, but we are working on that. The Chief of Staff, the Secretary General and I had a long trilateral meeting at the PDFORRA conference yesterday during which we talked predominantly about recruitment and retention, and what needs to be done in the short and medium term to turn around numbers that have been moving in the wrong direction for...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Energy Infrastructure (6 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 76, 105 and 110 together. As I stated when answering Question No. 72, the Naval Service, as the State's principal seagoing agency, is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles. While the main daily tasking of the Naval Service is to provide a fishery protection service in accordance with our obligations as an EU member state, it also carries out a...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Energy Infrastructure (6 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: I hope this is a statement of the obvious for people in this House - not all national security matters are appropriate to discuss on the floor of the Dáil. We are of course speaking to the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and his Department regarding what the Defence Forces can do to use the capacity we have to act as a deterrent and to provide as much...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (6 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am absolutely committed to that. We have a very large sea area at surface level and below, which, as the Deputy said, is more than ten times the size of our land surface. I suspect we are going to build offshore infrastructure worth tens if not hundreds of billions of euro not only to power Ireland but also to power other countries in Europe in the future. We are about to embark on an...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Defence Forces (6 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: The White Paper on Defence, which was approved by the Government in July 2015, resulted from a comprehensive examination of defence requirements. It provides the defence policy framework for the period up to 2025. This policy framework is designed to be flexible and responsive given the dynamic nature of the security environment and enables the defence organisation to be adaptive to...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Defence Forces (6 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: The biggest challenge we have is in personnel. At the moment, the numbers in our Defence Forces are a long way short of where we need to be. That is the case not only in the Naval Service but also in the Army and the Air Corps. We must turn the tide to start gaining momentum and achieving a sense that we are adding people each year, as a net figure. As I said earlier, if we are to achieve...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Budgets (6 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: There will always be incidents that test our systems and capacity. Last year, we were talking about our experience of getting people out of Kabul. People were rightly raising the question of whether we have a medium-range lift capacity in our Defence Forces which would enable them to take people out of a part of the world where we need to get people out quickly, and what we are doing about...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (6 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 74 and 90 together. For 2023, the total allocation for Vote 36 – defence is €893 million, which is an overall increase of €57 million on 2022, doubling the increase for defence from last year. As the Deputy said, the defence capital allocation has increased by €35 million, up to €176 million. In truth, we will spend more...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Funding (6 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: What I did not mention previously in terms of capital investment next year was the actual physical build investment in the Defence Forces training camp at the Curragh, the development of a student facility in Galway, along with facilities improvements and accommodation upgrades in multiple different barracks locations. I should mention that. What happened with Nord Stream 1 and Nord...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Maritime Jurisdiction (6 Oct 2022)

Simon Coveney: There is ongoing work between An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces to ensure that when the latter need to provide an aid to civil power or support for the Garda, it happens in as seamless a way as we can make it. Ireland needs to look at its broader defence and security policy, including the relationship between An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces, whether in...