Results 23,641-23,660 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Personnel (24 Mar 2015)

Simon Coveney: No, it was not.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Personnel (24 Mar 2015)

Simon Coveney: I am sure the Deputy probably knows the answers to these questions. When the Defence Forces deploys personnel to assist An Garda Síochána, which has primary responsibility for security, it does so in response to requests for assistance from the force. Such assistance is always provided. When a Defence Forces unit arrives to assist, a lead officer will be in charge and it is his...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: European Council Meetings (24 Mar 2015)

Simon Coveney: I can only speak for Ireland and different Ministers will have different views on this. I do not envisage Ireland being part of the development of a European army. Through the Partnership for Peace, we are part of the battle groups structure, which is a voluntary structure. Countries volunteer to be part of a certain battle group and we are part of the Nordic battle group, which is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Personnel (24 Mar 2015)

Simon Coveney: This is a matter discussed several times during Question Time. An Garda Síochána has the primary responsibility for law and order, including the protection of the internal security of the State. Among the roles assigned to the Defence Forces is the provision of aid to the civil power which, in practice, means to assist An Garda Síochána when requested to do so. On...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: European Council Meetings (24 Mar 2015)

Simon Coveney: First, there is no standing EU army and as there are no plans for one, I am not sure where the Deputy is coming from in his question. It seems to suggest the informal meeting of Defence Ministers in Riga recently was undercover but nothing could be further from the truth. The most recent informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers took place in Riga, Latvia on 18 and 19 February. The informal...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: European Council Meetings (24 Mar 2015)

Simon Coveney: They are all very fair questions. We have an agreement to provide the LE Aoifewhich has been decommissioned to be used in Malta for security purposes and as part of a more effective response to the migration and human challenges faced by it. There has been some media coverage to the contrary but Malta is delighted to accept the vessel. We will help to train the crew and make sure they are...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Cyber Security Policy (24 Mar 2015)

Simon Coveney: I agree with all of that. A high level interdepartmental group chaired by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and including senior representatives from the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces is finalising a draft national cybersecurity strategy that will focus on improving cybersecurity capabilities in Ireland. The draft strategy will be published this...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Cyber Security Policy (24 Mar 2015)

Simon Coveney: I do not accept that other Departments do not have a significant role here. Yes, there is some expertise within the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces in this area but there is also a lot of expertise within the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. It deals with a lot of companies in the private sector on cybersecurity issues and has broad experience across...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Cyber Security Policy (24 Mar 2015)

Simon Coveney: This is a relevant question in the context of the White Paper and the changing security concerns. The growth of cyber threats to critical private, government and defence networks requires a co-ordinated response at national and EU level across member states. There is a need to focus on advanced collaboration between the public and private sectors. The response to the cyber threat remains a...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Overseas Missions (24 Mar 2015)

Simon Coveney: Currently Ireland is contributing a total of 430 Defence Forces personnel to 11 different missions throughout the world. The details of the Defence Forces average end of month overseas strengths are as follows. In 2012 there were 122 Officers and 310 Enlisted Personnel; in 2013 there were 127 Officers and 310 Enlisted Personnel; in 2014 there were 131 Officers and 288 Enlisted Personnel;...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: International Agreements (24 Mar 2015)

Simon Coveney: As part of the continuing improvement in east-west relations, the Department of Defence has identified opportunities for greater engagement between Ireland and the UK on those areas of defence where we have mutual interests. Against this background, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) provides a framework for developing and furthering bilateral co-operation and relations between the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Funding (24 Mar 2015)

Simon Coveney: As part of the 2015-2017 Comprehensive Review of Expenditure (CRE) process, the Department of Defence submitted a detailed proposal to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in May, 2014. Following on from this CRE submission and subsequent bilateral discussions, an overall financial envelope for the 2015-2017 period was outlined, and the 2015 Revised Estimates Volume (REV) provided...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Ministerial Transport (24 Mar 2015)

Simon Coveney: On the 27th of July last, the Gulfstream IV aircraft, which had been in service for 23 years, travelled to the Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation facility in Georgia, USA, for its annual maintenance inspection. During this inspection, it became apparent that the servicing and repair of the aircraft would have involved a significantly higher level of investment than was anticipated. Given the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Equipment (24 Mar 2015)

Simon Coveney: As stated in Parliamentary Question No. 10 on the 14th January this year, there is an ongoing requirement to examine new and innovative means of improving capabilities in the security and the defence domain, so that the Defence Forces are in a position to undertake the roles assigned by Government. The capabilities being researched and developed by the Defence Forces in cooperation with...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Personnel (24 Mar 2015)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy will be aware, I, along with my colleague Mr Brendan Howlin, T.D., Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform, have accepted the findings of the Adjudicator's Report in respect of the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association (PDFORRA) claim under the Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme in relation to the service limits for Privates and Corporals who...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Overseas Missions (24 Mar 2015)

Simon Coveney: On 9 December 2014, the Government approved the participation of seven members of the Defence Forces in the new NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, which commenced on 1 January 2015, following the withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission from Afghanistan. Resolute Support Mission is a non-combat training and advisory mission. It is designed to...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Operations (24 Mar 2015)

Simon Coveney: An Garda Síochána has the primary responsibility for law and order, including the protection of the internal security of the State. Among the roles assigned to the Defence Forces is the provision of Aid to the Civil Power (ATCP) which, in practice, means to assist An Garda Síochána when requested to do so. The number of occasions and types of operations in which the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Naval Service Operations (24 Mar 2015)

Simon Coveney: The Irish Maritime and Energy Research Cluster (IMERC) was created in 2008 as a result of a group of maritime stakeholders examining the possibility of pooling elements of Ireland's maritime industrial research in a single geographical location, adjacent to the National Maritime College of Ireland. This research and commercial cluster aims to realise Ireland's economic potential in the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Overseas Missions (24 Mar 2015)

Simon Coveney: On 9 December 2014, the Government approved the participation of seven members of the Defence Forces in the new NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, which commenced on 1 January 2015, following the withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission from Afghanistan. Resolute Support Mission is a non-combat training and advisory mission. It is designed to...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Air Corps (24 Mar 2015)

Simon Coveney: The White Paper on Defence (2000) sets out the current defence policy framework. The role of the Air Corps as set out in the White Paper is to provide a range of military and non-military air services. The Air Corps has traditionally discharged a mix of functions based on a need to supply a range of services such as air ambulance, fishery protection, and support to An Garda...