Results 6,601-6,620 of 17,012 for speaker:Paul Kehoe

Written Answers — Department of Defence: National Development Plan Funding (23 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: The National Development Plan provides for an overall capital allocation of €541m for Defence for the period 2018 to 2022, including an allocation of €106m for 2019, as confirmed in the recent Budget. This capital funding will allow the Defence Organisation to undertake a programme of sustained equipment replacement and infrastructure development as identified in the White...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Public Relations (23 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: The work of the Defence Forces is extremely important in contributing to the State and its well-being. This work is frequently promoted in media coverage and in promotional campaigns run by the Defence Forces’ Public Relations Branch which are focused on recruitment. Such campaigns make use of traditional and social media platforms, and have proven very successful with multiple...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council – Defence, and Related Matters: Minister of State at the Department of Defence (18 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I thank the joint committee for the opportunity to appear before it. I wish to provide the committee with an update on Ireland's position and role in the European Union Common Security and Defence Policy, CSDP, and on my recent attendance at the informal ministerial meeting of European Union defence Ministers at the end of August. My opening statement will update members on a number of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council – Defence, and Related Matters: Minister of State at the Department of Defence (18 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: The Deputy should address her last question to the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Coveney. It is more appropriate for him to answer it. We had an increase in our budget. The total Defence allocation after this budget will be €1.994 billion. That is a 5% increase of €47 million from 2018. There is €29 million in capital funding and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council – Defence, and Related Matters: Minister of State at the Department of Defence (18 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: Deputy Chambers asked about divergence between senior military management of the Defence Forces and the Department. There has been no divergence whatsoever. Both parties signed off on the submission to the Public Service Pay Commission. I read the document submitted by the strategic planning branch earlier this year. The pay commission sought data, statistics and trends on recruitment and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council – Defence, and Related Matters: Minister of State at the Department of Defence (18 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: The strategic planning branch worked in collaboration with the Department on collation of the data. On the working family payment, this payment is made through the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council – Defence, and Related Matters: Minister of State at the Department of Defence (18 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: People who are entitled to the payment can claim it. Members of the Defence Forces know full well that if they are entitled to the family income supplement or working family payment they can claim it. The representative organisations will assist them in doing so, if necessary. Fewer than 270 members of the defence organisation, by which I mean the Department of Defence and the Defence...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council – Defence, and Related Matters: Minister of State at the Department of Defence (18 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I can quote the real statistics.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council – Defence, and Related Matters: Minister of State at the Department of Defence (18 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I can quote the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection data on the number of people in the Defence Forces in receipt of the working family payment. As I said, the submission to the independent pay commission was data led and it involved a huge job of work over the last number of works. It was submitted in early September and it is hoped the commission's report and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council – Defence, and Related Matters: Minister of State at the Department of Defence (18 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: No, it is not delayed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council – Defence, and Related Matters: Minister of State at the Department of Defence (18 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I hope that the commission's report and recommendations will be with Government by Q1 2019. I understand the interim report will be made to Government by the end of this year. The Government will consider the recommendations made by the pay commission on that occasion. On the air ambulance service, a number of options were suggested by the Air Corps. Members will be aware there is a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council – Defence, and Related Matters: Minister of State at the Department of Defence (18 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I will address Deputy McLoughlin's questions first. There are a substantial number of non-pay initiatives and retention strategies that provide opportunities for members of the Defence Forces. The review of contracts is continuing and the Department and the representative organisations are working on that. This will allow those who have served 12 years to extend their service up to 21...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council – Defence, and Related Matters: Minister of State at the Department of Defence (18 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I have acknowledged that. I have spoken to the Chief of Staff and military management on that issue and they are examining it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council – Defence, and Related Matters: Minister of State at the Department of Defence (18 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I will now deal with Deputy McFadden's questions. I have addressed the pay and conditions and the submission that we have made to the Low Pay Commission. Is that okay for the Senator?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council – Defence, and Related Matters: Minister of State at the Department of Defence (18 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: The 24 hour duty allowance is part of the submission the Department has put in. The Senator spoke about technical pay for cooks and related adjudications. There are a number of outstanding adjudications and findings across the public service, including the Defence Forces, which cannot be implemented having regard to the provisions in the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council – Defence, and Related Matters: Minister of State at the Department of Defence (18 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: The Deputy has asked a wide range of questions. The Deputy referred to aid to civil power and the Defence Forces organisation not being able to meet all of its requests. I have no proof that we are unable to meet the requests that have been made under aid to the civil power. I presume the Deputy was specifically referring to the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority. While the Naval Service...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council – Defence, and Related Matters: Minister of State at the Department of Defence (18 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: May I address that question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council – Defence, and Related Matters: Minister of State at the Department of Defence (18 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: May I answer?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council – Defence, and Related Matters: Minister of State at the Department of Defence (18 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: On Deputy Grealish's questions, I stand over my reply in the Dáil. The process of recruitment is entirely a matter for members of the Defence Forces. There is not one civil servant involved in the process from the time someone applies for the Defence Forces.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council – Defence, and Related Matters: Minister of State at the Department of Defence (18 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: The question Deputy Grealish asked was who was involved in the process. From the time a person applies for the Defence Forces, he will never-----