Results 321-340 of 1,031,758 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Paul Murphy OR speaker:Verona Murphy OR speaker:James Lawless) in 'Committee meetings'

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: -----to make a recommendation to create an independent oversight body with the Secretary General on it, by the way. There is a reason it is called independent oversight. The independent review body recommended that it be independent of the Defence Forces, whether we like it or not. That was the recommendation. When it came out and was published, every one of the Opposition Deputies was in...

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Brendan Howlin: We are all in agreement with that.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: I am not so sure you are. You say you are, but when we try to do something practical about it, you find other reasons about it and start getting Jesuitical about the public service management-----

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Réada Cronin: Oh, God.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: -----and the separation between the Chief of Staff and Secretary General. There is another agenda here. There is an anti-Secretary General agenda. There is an anti-Department agenda.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Brendan Howlin: Absolutely not.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: I am not saying Deputy Howlin has it, but it is in the ether.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Brendan Howlin: Where is it in the ether?

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Deputy has been around a long time too. I have noticed that the train of thought in this debate has been the Department on one hand and military on the other.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Brendan Howlin: It is-----

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: I am sorry; it is there.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Brendan Howlin: Independence-----

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: It is there. It is there in all of this debate.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Brendan Howlin: -----and control.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: That is why I believe in this. I agree with the Deputy on the need for more comprehensive legislation to demarcate properly the roles of a chief of defence forces, CHOD, in its entirety and, as Deputy Berry said, equality of status among the heads of services. I agree with all that. That has to be done. However, there is a dangerous trend emerging, even from some of the representative...

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

(Interruptions).

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: That is out there. The Deputy might say it is not, but it is out there. I am sorry to say it, but-----

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Brendan Howlin: Nothing in my mind would say that.

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Micheál Martin: I beg your pardon?

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Brendan Howlin: It is not my intention.