Results 5,961-5,980 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: This brings me back to an earlier question relating to cybersecurity and the considerations of the Commission on the Defence Forces for the future in terms of the cybersecurity elements of the threats we face in the security domain. It is important to point out that the budget the Government spends on cybersecurity is not just confined to the defence budget. It also goes to the Department...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: Cybersecurity is going to be one of the key challenges for the State in the context of a post-Covid recovery and how we protect data and our telecommunications systems and infrastructure as more people work from home and more people require and rely on high-speed broadband connectivity, both internationally and in the State. We will have to ensure that these systems and protected and safe....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Military Honours (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: No is the straight answer. However, I have asked that I receive the report shortly. I hope I will receive it within days. One of the things I am determined to do is to make sure we have the opportunity to have statements on this report and its recommendations before we break up for the summer, which means we need to get on with it. I have responded positively to requests for more time -...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Military Honours (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: We should not presuppose the outcome of the report. This report was not completed weeks ago and is sitting on someone's desk. I spoke to the Chief of Staff about this a few days ago. The report is in the final stages of being completed. Of course, it then needs to be printed up and so on and the Chief of Staff needs some time to be able to consider it. However, I am looking to have the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Military Honours (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I agree with that. We did have a full debate on this issue in the Seanad and I did give a commitment once the report was concluded, we would have statements in the Seanad on that and I would like to follow through on that commitment. Let us see if we can schedule a debate here also. In many ways, Jadotville is a reminder of the service overseas of Irish Defence Forces personnel over...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: To be fair to him, the Deputy always asks searching questions. For obvious reasons, this is a sector that he understands well. The civil-military joint standing committee on medical service delivery is tasked with advancing the development of a sustainable, integrated medical service to meet the needs of the Defence Forces. As part of its work, it has committed to reviewing each key medical...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I will follow the progress of this review closely. The Army Nursing Service is essential to our Defence Forces and needs to be available to all serving personnel. We have made a commitment in the programme for Government that the medical facilities available to officers in the Defence Forces should be available to all serving personnel. That commitment will take some time to implement, but...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I assure the House that, in terms of our overseas deployments, we always ensure that there are appropriate medical supports, medical facilities and nursing staff available to our serving personnel. This normally means that we embed our serving personnel with others. In Mali, we are embedded with the Germans. When I visited the EU training mission, it had a German medical facility that was...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Military Honours (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 51 together. In short, I do not have the report yet, but I have been speaking to the Chief of Staff about my wanting to have it soon. I suspect that I will have it soon and I look forward to being able to discuss it in some detail then. The issue of awarding Military Medals for Gallantry and Distinguished Service Medals to personnel who served...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: They do not operate outside of Mali. I want to put that on the record.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Naval Service (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 14 together. As the Deputy will be aware, the Naval Service is the State's principal seagoing agency and is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles. The main day-to-day role of the Naval Service is to provide a fisheries protection service in accordance with the State's obligations as a member of the EU. The service is tasked with patrolling...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Naval Service (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: We have two ships in reserve and one ship in a midlife refit, which takes a period of time. There are essentially six ships operational in our fleet at the moment. The two ships in reserve can be deployed if there is an emergency. Due to the fact that there are challenges in respect of the numbers in the Naval Service, we are focused on operating six ships safely with full crews. I am not...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Naval Service (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy will be pleased to hear that I was in Dún Laoghaire using the facilities of the harbour a few days ago when the Naval Service picked me up in a rig and took me to the LÉ George Bernard Shawwhere we spent nearly 24 hours on patrol down the east coast and along the south coast. It was a good opportunity to spend some time with our naval personnel and to speak to them about...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cybersecurity Policy (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: While the primary role of the Defence Forces with regard to cybersecurity relates to the defence and security of their own networks and systems, the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces are committed to participating under the leadership of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications on the delivery of measures to improve the cybersecurity of the State. This is...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cybersecurity Policy (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: There are certain things to which I cannot commit as Minister for Defence. What I can commit to is the role of the Defence Forces in the context of making a contribution to a whole-of-government response to cyber threats as they emerge. We are planning for this and we are investing accordingly. We have asked the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces to look at the role the Defence...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: Irish Defence Forces personnel are currently deployed in two separate missions in Mali. The Government has approved the continued provision of up to 20 members of the Permanent Defence Force for service with the EU mission to train the Malian armed forces in Mali, known as EUTM Mali, or the EU training mission, up to 22 March 2022. In addition, the Government has approved the continued...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I want to put on the record of the House that defence force personnel from EU countries in Mali are there to try to bring stability to save lives. The French are central to these efforts. I want to read into the record from a statement on what happened in recent days and the risks they all face so that we can show a bit of respect to peacekeepers in a part of the world that would be falling...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: There are issues, but if people are leaving the Defence Forces because they are targeted by a private sector that wants to offer them more money, then this is a choice people will make. We cannot chase the private sector in pay levels all the time. There are many, highly qualified and talented people in the Defence Forces who get job offers to leave the Defence Forces because of the skill...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: I accept there is a recruitment and retention issue in the Defence Forces. We are doing a lot to address this. We have had some successes, especially in the Air Corps in bringing pilots back in. That was not just a Covid dividend; it was also because of a scheme we put in place to do that. We are setting about addressing recruitment and retention issues in the Naval Service and in the...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cybersecurity Policy (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Coveney: This is a very important question. My colleague the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Ryan, retains overall responsibility for cybersecurity at a national level but, of course, the response to cyber threats is a whole-of-government challenge with important inputs in the security domain from An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces. As we have seen...