Results 5,381-5,400 of 17,012 for speaker:Paul Kehoe

Public Service Pay Commission Report on the Permanent Defence Force: Statements (11 Jul 2019)

Paul Kehoe: With the agreement of the House I will be finished in two minutes.

Public Service Pay Commission Report on the Permanent Defence Force: Statements (11 Jul 2019)

Paul Kehoe: I thank the House for giving me the opportunity to discuss the report of the independent Public Service Pay Commission on recruitment and retention in the Permanent Defence Force. I welcome the report. It is an independent assessment following the work of the pay commission, as well as inputs from my Department, military management, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Remuneration (11 Jul 2019)

Paul Kehoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 40, 69, 70, 71, 79, 81 and 90 together. At its meeting held on the 4th July 2019, the Government accepted, in full, the report of the Public Service Pay Commission on recruitment and retention in the Permanent Defence Force. The report contains a broad range of recommendations to deal with recruitment and retention challenges in the Permanent Defence Force. ...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Functions (11 Jul 2019)

Paul Kehoe: As well as being responsible overall for Defence matters, the Minister for Defence is head of the civil and military branches of the Department of Defence.  As has been long established practice, information matters, including media engagement, follow coordination between the relevant civil and military branches, under the authority of the Minister.  

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Operations (11 Jul 2019)

Paul Kehoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 42 and 43 together. As outlined in the Governments White Paper on Defence 2015, the issue of Cyber Security has very significant implications for governmental administration, for industry, for economic wellbeing and for the security and safety of citizens. Indeed Cyber Security is a standing item on the agenda of the Government Task Force on Emergency...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Personnel (11 Jul 2019)

Paul Kehoe: All new entrant civil servants are subject to vetting and security clearance processes prior to being offered a post in the Department of Defence.  Security vetting has a number of layers and is conducted in conjunction with An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces.  Civil servants transferring to my Department from another Government Department will have been subject to...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Cyber Security Protocols (11 Jul 2019)

Paul Kehoe: Cyberattacks are a constant threat to organisations across the globe, including the Department of Defence.  These attacks represent challenges that are constantly evolving and require vigilance and appropriate responses. The nature of any cyberattack and the potential impact also varies considerably depending on the approach and objective of those with malicious intent. Cybersecurity is...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Cyber Security Protocols (11 Jul 2019)

Paul Kehoe: I am informed by the military authorities that the Defence Forces networks are secured on a 24/7 basis. From an operational and security perspective it would be inappropriate to comment further on the cyber and network security capabilities of the Defence Forces other than to say that there is on-going and continued development of these capabilities within the Defence Forces.  

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Air Corps (11 Jul 2019)

Paul Kehoe: The Conciliation and Arbitration (C&A) scheme for members of the Permanent Defence Force provides a formal mechanism for the Permanent Defence Force Representative Associations, that is PDFORRA and RACO, to engage with the Official side. The payment of an allowance for Commandants in the Air Corps who perform emergency aeromedical service duties is currently being...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Operations (11 Jul 2019)

Paul Kehoe: My priority as Minister with Responsibility for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Defence Forces is maintained to the greatest extent possible to enable the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service to carry out their roles as assigned by Government. At National level, representation on the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning by both the Department of Defence and...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Gender Equality (11 Jul 2019)

Paul Kehoe: The Government is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for men and women throughout the Defence Forces and to the full participation by women in all aspects of Defence Forces activities. This is underlined by a commitment in the Programme for Government to increase the level of female participation in the Defence Forces.   Unlike some other national armed forces, the Defence...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: White Paper on Defence (11 Jul 2019)

Paul Kehoe: The White Paper on Defence includes a commitment to evaluate the potential development of a new Institute for Peace Support and Leadership Training at the Defence Forces Training Centre in the Curragh. The Deputy will be aware that a formal feasibility study in this regard has been underway since January 2018. An interim report was presented to the project steering group in November 2018,...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: White Paper on Defence (11 Jul 2019)

Paul Kehoe: The White Paper on Defence, published in August 2015, contains a commitment to carry out a review of Ireland's declared contribution to the United Nations Standby Arrangements System (UNSAS) and the EU Headline Goal in light of the changing security environment and the on-going modernisation and transformation of Defence Forces capabilities.  The review is also to consider the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (11 Jul 2019)

Paul Kehoe: In July 2011, the Government approved arrangements, whereby Enterprise Ireland supports the Defence Forces capability development, by raising the awareness of, and engaging with, Irish-based enterprise and research institutes, including third level colleges that are engaged in relevant and related activities.  This Defence Enterprise Initiative is achieved through the Defence Enterprise...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: White Paper on Defence (11 Jul 2019)

Paul Kehoe: The White Paper on Defence gave a commitment that the Secretary General and the Chief of Staff would jointly undertake a review of the current high level command and control structures in the Defence Forces having regard to international best practice on military command and control and drawing upon external expertise.  This review was also to include a review for managing joint...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Public Service Pay Commission Reports (11 Jul 2019)

Paul Kehoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 54, 73, 77, 78, 80, 82 to 84, inclusive, and 89 together. At its meeting held on the 4th July 2019, the Government accepted, in full, the report of the Public Service Pay Commission on recruitment and retention in the Defence Forces. The Government also agreed an extensive implementation plan for the report. The implementation plan is arranged around...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Equipment (11 Jul 2019)

Paul Kehoe: My priority as Minister with Responsibility for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service  is  maintained to the greatest extent possible so as to enable the Defence Forces to carry out their roles as assigned by Government both at home and overseas. The acquisition of new equipment for the Defence Forces remains a clear focus...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Operations (11 Jul 2019)

Paul Kehoe: My priority as Minister with Responsibility for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service  is  maintained to the greatest extent possible so as to enable the Defence Forces to carry out their roles as assigned by Government both at home and overseas. The acquisition of new equipment for the Defence Forces remains a clear focus...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Personnel (11 Jul 2019)

Paul Kehoe: The White Paper on Defence, published in 2015, resulted from a comprehensive examination of Defence requirements over a ten year planning horizon and set out policy in respect of people capability development for the Defence Organisation. My Department undertakes a workforce planning process in relation to the determination of civil service staffing requirements to ensure the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: White Paper on Defence (11 Jul 2019)

Paul Kehoe: The White Paper on Defence (2015) identified the requirement to complete a gap analysis of skill sets within the Permanent Defence Force in order to identify the frequency of such gaps and appropriate measures to address them.  Joint civil-military project planning is currently underway in relation thereto. The requirement for such an analysis has also been outlined in the...