Results 3,801-3,820 of 50,909 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: There has been dramatic growth in the past three or four years. We are now comparing better than we did.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: It is. Many other states are growing fast in that respect because they have to. Cyber and maritime are the new fields of threat.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: I am pleased to report to the committee on Irish Defence Forces participation in United Nations missions in 2023. This report was laid before Dáil Éireann on 3 May 2024. The following motion was placed on the Order Paper for Dáil Éireann and has been referred to this committee: That Dáil Éireann approves: ... (II) the report by the Minister for Defence...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: No, it has to come to the Government first.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: At a European level, there has been a strategic assessment of the mission. A decision will be made at European level as to the continuation of the mission. We have six members on it. They are stationed at the operational headquarters in Rome and are serving in staff officer posts. In the summer of 2023, 58 personnel were deployed as part of Operation Irini for a period of six weeks. I...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: My point is that what PESCO is about is improving our capabilities. The EDA is about improving our capabilities. On issues like cybersecurity and undersea cables, collaboration is the name of the game. Why? The reason is that there is a lot of expertise about the place and we have to share knowledge. When the HSE was attacked, two of the first countries that contacted us - and I was...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: I thank the Deputy for his question. There is no place in the Defence Forces for an individual those attitudes. I am advised by the Military Authorities that the conditions for entry to and service in the Permanent Defence Force (PDF), including the methodologies used for assessments, are subject to continuous review and modification having regard to the needs of the organisation and...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: Since 2020, members of the Defence Forces have benefitted from a range of pay increases associated with national pay agreements. In addition to these pay increases, members of the Defence Forces have further benefitted from specific recommendations arising from recommendations in the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces (CoDF), which was established by Government in December 2020. ...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 73 and 103 together. Military management has advised that 75% of the volunteers are secured with 139 EU Battlegroup appointments made to date out of the 186 personnel committed. The expectation is that the remaining posts will be fully filled in the coming months, in advance of the first EU Battlegroup 2025 training exercise in Germany in the autumn. ...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 77 and 101 together. I remain deeply concerned by rising tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border. The potential for further regional escalation remains high. Reports received from UNIFIL indicate that the situation in Irish area of operation remains dynamic and unpredictable with kinetic activity continuing to emanate from North and South of the Blue Line....

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Military Neutrality (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 78 and 140 together. On 30 April last, Government approved the proposal to draft the General Scheme of a Bill to govern overseas deployments into the future. Work on drafting those proposals is well underway. This involves, where required, further consultation with the Office of the Attorney General and across Government Departments and key stakeholders. ...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 79 and 81 together. As of 31 May 2024, the strength of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) stood at 7,447 personnel, and 210 personnel had been inducted. Challenges in the recruitment and retention of personnel have been acknowledged and measures have been taken to address these. The military authorities initially projected an induction figure of 540 for...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Naval Service (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: As the Deputy is aware, I cannot comment on individual cases. I have earlier outlined my unequivocal condemnation of any form of gender-based violence. Such behaviour has no place in a modern society or in our Defence Forces. Defence Force Regulations, DFR A10 provide that a serving member may be discharged upon conviction by the civil power of an offence and sets out the process for...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Tribunals of Inquiry (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 82 and 86 together. Following the approval by both Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann of the motions to establish the Tribunal of Inquiry, I recently signed a Statutory Instrument to give effect to the formal establishment of the Tribunal. The Tribunal of Inquiry will examine the effectiveness of the complaints processes in the Defence Forces...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: As Minister, I am deeply committed to the transformation of the Defence Forces into a modern fit for purpose organisation to defend the State and meet the challenges of today and the future. The Commission on the Defence Forces was established on foot of a commitment in the Programme for Government, and its report was published on the 9th of February 2022. There were 69 main recommendations...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: The principle of competitive tendering for Government contracts is used by the Department of Defence for the acquisition of defensive equipment for the Defence Forces. Central to those procurement procedures are EU law requirements that have to be complied with. This is to ensure fair competition, transparency and equal treatment between suppliers through the advertising of the tender...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Government remains committed to bolstering the numbers in the Reserve Defence Force (RDF). One such measure in support of this commitment has been the increase in upper recruitment and mandatory retirement ages for the RDF to match comparable increases for the Permanent Defence Force (PDF), which were brought into effect in March of this year. The structure and strength of the RDF is a...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: The report of the Independent Review Group (IRG) established to examine dignity and equality issues in the Defence Forces was published following Government approval on 28 March 2023. The Government agreed to progress the 13 recommendations contained in the Report. Some actions have already been completed while others will take further time due to the requirement for legislative change. One...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Ministerial Responsibilities (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: Ms. Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, TD, is the current Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence. No formal functions of the Minister for Defence have been delegated to the Minister of State and full responsibility for Defence policies, the Department of Defence, and the Defence Forces remains with the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence. However the Minister of State assists and...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: I wish to state at the outset, in the strongest possible terms, that the Defence Forces is not a place where someone convicted of serious physical assaults, sexual offences or domestic or gender-based violence can join or continue to serve. All applicants to join the Defence Forces are vetted by An Garda Síochána as part of the application process. Defence Forces Regulation A10,...