Results 6,721-6,740 of 17,012 for speaker:Paul Kehoe

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Naval Service Vessels (3 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: We are and have been involved in Operation Sophia for some time. I am proud of the great work members of the Naval Service are doing in the Mediterranean. Migrants picked up by it are brought to a safe European port. That has always been and will continue to be the case. On the matter of the multi-role vessel to which the Deputy referred, we are in the preliminary stages of planning. The...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Service Pay Commission Reports (3 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: No, it is not. This is a pay commission. The Deputy might want to go back and look at the terms of reference of the pay commission. He spoke about people buying themselves out. There are reasons people have to do so and the Deputy should check them out.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Service Pay Commission Reports (3 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: The Deputy should go back and look at the confidence and supply agreement because his party signed up to the pay commission and agreed to its terms of reference. I would ask the Deputy to look at the terms of reference. His party signed up to them under the confidence and supply agreement. It is not up to me to make recommendations. It is up to the pay commission to do that. We were...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Personnel (3 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: The Defence Forces climate survey was commissioned on foot of a recommendation contained in the third report of the independent monitoring group which was established to oversee the implementation of recommendations relating to harassment, bullying, discrimination and sexual harassment within the Defence Forces. Follow-up work to the initial findings in the survey was conducted by University...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Personnel (3 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: The Defence Forces have full control over recruitment. No civilian is involved in this. It is solely the responsibility of the Defence Forces headed by military management and the Chief of Staff who has his own people in that recruitment office. The Deputy raised a wide range of issues. I have outlined the process we are using under the public service stability programme between now and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Service Pay Commission Reports (3 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: The joint submission from the Department of Defence and military management was submitted on 10 September to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. This was a very comprehensive evidence-based submission and it was what the pay commission sought. The submission was supported by statistics and I know the commission is engaging with members of the Defence Forces now, as it has done...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Service Pay Commission Reports (3 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I instructed my Department that I did not want a wishy-washy submission from the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces. I wanted a comprehensive evidence-based submission. It runs to well over 100 pages, with graphs of trends and everything like that. The Deputy asked when I expect the pay commission to report. In April this year a submission was sent regarding pilot retention, and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Service Pay Commission Reports (3 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: As I have outlined, the Public Service Pay Commission was established to provide objective advice to the Government relating to public service remuneration policy. The Department of Defence has provided detailed data to enable the commission to undertake an evidence-based analysis of recruitment and retention issues. The commission's work is ongoing and I have no intention of speculating on...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Service Pay Commission Reports (3 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: The minimum payment for a Defence Forces member is €27,000 and it has increased with the public service stability agreement payment. I am giving the Public Service Pay Commission the time and space to carry out its work. We gave it a very comprehensive joint submission from the Department of Defence and military management, which worked very hard on this evidence-based document. It...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Naval Service Operations (3 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I will give the Deputy some advice because we could have avoided the situation we are in. I watched an interesting programme last night about the banking bailout. Deputy Chambers' party was involved in that. I would-----

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Naval Service Operations (3 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I advise the Deputy to watch that programme as he might learn a lot. I received correspondence yesterday from the Chief of Staff who assured me that, despite the many challenges, the Naval Service is still able to carry out its assigned security and defence tasks and meet its commitments under the various service level agreements. I admitted last night that we have human resources...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Naval Service Operations (3 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I advise the Deputy to watch the programme again. Maybe he did not see it.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Naval Service Operations (3 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I stated last night that we have human resources issues and challenges in the Defence Forces. We are in a process with the Public Service Pay Commission and various other processes. I assure the general public that the Naval Service is capable. The Chief of Staff has assured me that it is well able to carry out its security and defence tasks.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Naval Service Operations (3 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: The Deputy is asking me to shirk my responsibilities in respect of the Public Service Pay Commission, while applauding the Chief of Staff for engaging with the commission

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Naval Service Operations (3 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: The Deputy should make up his mind on which way he wants to go. It is my political responsibility. I have engaged with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Public Service Pay Commission, and a comprehensive joint submission has been made by the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces. The Chief of Staff acknowledged that when he said-----

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Naval Service Operations (3 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: If the Deputy listened, he would know it was a joint submission in which both parties were very much involved. It was submitted to the Public Service Pay Commission in early September. I am giving the commission the space and time to carry out its work on pay within the Defence Forces. Maybe the Deputy will read the commission's report of May 2017, which I have highlighted to him a number...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Service Pay Commission Reports (3 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: The Public Service Pay Commission was established to provide objective advice to Government on public service remuneration policy. In 2017, under my direction, the Department of Defence brought issues of recruitment and retention in the Defence Forces to the attention of the commission. The commission produced its initial report in May 2017 and highlighted recruitment and retention issues,...

Troop Deployment: Announcement by Minister of State (3 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I advise the House that there has been a delay in the rotation of Defence Forces personnel serving with UNDOF. It will result in a delay for 119 personnel who are returning home to Ireland. Following receipt of the required diplomatic clearance for the flight to rotate the Defence Forces contingent with UNDOF on Tuesday, 2 October, an issue arose unexpectedly on Monday morning with the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Naval Service Operations (3 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: First, the delay in the return home of Defence Forces personnel has nothing to do with the HR section of the Department of Defence. The Naval Service is the State's principal seagoing agency tasked with a variety of defence and other roles. The current strength of the Naval Service is just over 1,000 personnel, or approximately 92% of its establishment of 1,094 personnel. There is...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Remuneration (3 Oct 2018)

Paul Kehoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 52, 58 and 74 together. I am aware of the views expressed and the issues raised in relation to the Parade which took place on 19 September 2018. I note in particular the call for the restoration of pay. As you are aware, similar to other areas of the public service, the pay of Permanent Defence Force personnel was reduced as one of the measures...