Results 5,581-5,600 of 17,012 for speaker:Paul Kehoe

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (13 Jun 2019)

Paul Kehoe: I thank the Deputy. I have been advised by military management that all training, retraining and exercising is carried out. This is a matter for the military. With regard to equipment, I assure the Deputy that over recent years, there has been a huge increase in the budget for investment in equipment in the Air Corps, the Naval Service and the Army. Whether for new ships, planes, the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Remuneration (13 Jun 2019)

Paul Kehoe: I congratulate Deputy Wallace on his recent success in the elections to the European Parliament. I wish him the very best of luck. I will miss our debating here in the Chamber. I am glad that the Deputy has an interest in this issue. I applaud him for that. I agree with him when he states that the members of the Defence Forces risk their lives. I believe, however, given some of his...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Remuneration (13 Jun 2019)

Paul Kehoe: I respect the Deputy's views. That is the way it is and I have no issue with that whatsoever. I am also glad that Deputy Wallace mentioned the figures from the CSO. Those figures on low pay differ from time to time. That was one of the reasons why I asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to prioritise the defence sector as a matter of urgency. I requested that the case of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Personnel (13 Jun 2019)

Paul Kehoe: The person in question was employed during the financial crash when there were a significant number of pay cuts. When I was appointed in 2016, the University of Limerick climate survey report was one of the first matters put on my desk. It was also carried out during the financial crash when there were no pay increases. We had to recover from this financial crash for which the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Personnel (13 Jun 2019)

Paul Kehoe: The independent pay commission report will be published shortly. It is good there are positive developments occurring. While I would like to see them happening faster, we must stick within the realm of the public sector pay agreements. Fianna Fáil signed up to this under the confidence and supply agreement. I have not seen any correspondence from the gentleman to which the Deputy...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Remuneration (13 Jun 2019)

Paul Kehoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 13, 15, 24, 26, 28 and 29 together. I have ongoing discussions with the Chief of Staff regarding the full range of defence issues. The current turnover level in the Defence Forces is 8.1%, which is above the long-term average of 6.3%. This turnover level is posing difficulties for the Defence Forces. Other military organisations internationally are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Strength (13 Jun 2019)

Paul Kehoe: As I have stated, the strength of the Defence Forces on 30 April 2019 stood at 8,828 personnel. This strength figure excludes those who are on career break or secondment from the Defence Forces. As the Deputy knows, in an ideal world we would have a strength level of 9,500 personnel. This would cover all aspects of the organisation. I accept we have many pinch points within the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Strength (13 Jun 2019)

Paul Kehoe: In the White Paper on Defence 2015, it was recommended that we would have a Defence Forces strength of 9,500 personnel. That was after the reorganisation. As the Deputy well knows, everybody was very much involved in the preparation of the White Paper on Defence 2015, including all Opposition party Members, many stakeholders, military management and everyone in the Department. A massive...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Personnel (13 Jun 2019)

Paul Kehoe: As Minister of State with responsibility for defence I take the welfare of members of the Defence Forces very seriously. The Defence Forces have a range of personnel supports in place to assist individuals who are experiencing difficulties. This includes social workers who provide very valuable supports and services. The circumstances in which personnel find themselves in economic...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Personnel (13 Jun 2019)

Paul Kehoe: In respect of the person to whom the Deputy is referring, I only have hearsay of this in media reports. It is very easy to say something in the media. To my recollection, and I have looked for this, there has been absolutely no correspondence between this person and my Department. This person would actually have no contact with officials in my Department. He would have been dealing with...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh (Atógáil) - Priority Questions (Resumed): Postal Voting (13 Jun 2019)

Paul Kehoe: The Electoral Act 1992 establishes a postal voters list and those who qualify to be entered in the list. The Act provides that a whole-time member of the Defence Forces shall be entered in the list. Having regard to the nature of military life, this entitlement ensures the right to vote for members of the Permanent Defence Force. The Department of Defence provides a link between the...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh (Atógáil) - Priority Questions (Resumed): Postal Voting (13 Jun 2019)

Paul Kehoe: That statement clearly indicates that the Deputy does not listen. I said that the Department of Defence only provides the link between the franchise section of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and the military authorities. This is to ensure that timelines for voting are processed. Neither the Department of Defence nor my office have anything to do with sending out...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh (Atógáil) - Priority Questions (Resumed): Postal Voting (13 Jun 2019)

Paul Kehoe: The Deputy is wrong. Managing this issue is the responsibility of the military authorities. I know the Deputy wants to broaden this out to encompass other areas but I am content that the postal voting system is a matter for the military authorities. The Department of Defence only liaises with the franchise section of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government to give the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Strength (13 Jun 2019)

Paul Kehoe: The White Paper on Defence of 2015 commits to maintaining the strength of the Permanent Defence Force at 9,500 personnel. This strength provision includes those in training and there is no separate training establishment for recruits to the Permanent Defence Force. This strength provides for all roles assigned to the Defence Forces, at home and overseas. The strength of the Permanent...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh (Atógáil) - Priority Questions (Resumed): Defence Forces Deployment (13 Jun 2019)

Paul Kehoe: The Department of Justice and Equality and An Garda Síochána have primary responsibility for the internal security of the State. Among the roles assigned to the Defence Forces in the White Paper on Defence 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 Garda requested...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh (Atógáil) - Priority Questions (Resumed): Defence Forces Deployment (13 Jun 2019)

Paul Kehoe: I am not sure if that is the Deputy's personal opinion or that of his party. If it is his party's opinion, Fianna Fáil had 15 years to change the allowance for overtime.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh (Atógáil) - Priority Questions (Resumed): Defence Forces Deployment (13 Jun 2019)

Paul Kehoe: Fianna Fáil did not do that. The party had the opportunity to do it a number of months ago as well. Soldiers operate and work in a very different environment from An Garda Síochána and are assigned different roles and tasks. Jobs differ greatly across the public service and it can be difficult to make direct comparisons between various sectors across the full range of...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh (Atógáil) - Priority Questions (Resumed): Defence Forces Deployment (13 Jun 2019)

Paul Kehoe: The report was done at the behest of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Donohoe. He will bring it to Cabinet shortly. The Deputy is correct that we should examine all of the issues, including allowances. That is the reason I requested the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, to prioritise the Defence Forces as a matter of urgency to deal with recruitment and retention and pay and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Remuneration (13 Jun 2019)

Paul Kehoe: It is not my report to discuss with anybody else. It is the report of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. I do not know if the Deputy was listening to what Deputy Heydon said during the debate on a motion on the Defence Forces last night. During the course of the negotiations on renewing the confidence and supply agreement with respect to public sector pay-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Remuneration (13 Jun 2019)

Paul Kehoe: -----the Deputy's party spokesperson never once mentioned Defence Forces' pay, retention or recruitment.