Results 8,801-8,820 of 17,012 for speaker:Paul Kehoe

Other Questions: Brexit Issues (29 Mar 2017)

Paul Kehoe: Once the negotiations start-----

Other Questions: Brexit Issues (29 Mar 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I have not seen the correspondence or the argument that Theresa May has set out in her Brexit negotiations.

Other Questions: Brexit Issues (29 Mar 2017)

Paul Kehoe: It would be totally unwise if I were to instruct members of the Permanent Defence Force to get ready to guard the Border. That would be totally unacceptable.

Other Questions: Brexit Issues (29 Mar 2017)

Paul Kehoe: The Taoiseach has stressed on numerous occasions that he does not want to go back to the days when members of the Defence forces or the Garda Síochána were on the Border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. I am not going to get into that space either.

Other Questions: Brexit Issues (29 Mar 2017)

Paul Kehoe: The Deputy spoke about marine patrols. These are a matter for the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority. The Naval Service has a service level agreement with the latter in the context of the boarding of ships and matters of that nature. That activity will continue. The Department is very well prepared for Brexit negotiations, through a senior official and with a range of other people in...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Recruitment (29 Mar 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I do not believe there is any discrimination against women in the Defence Forces and if there is proof of it then I would like to hear about that. I would consider that to be serious. The Defences Forces are an equal opportunities employer for both males and females. It is great to see that Lieutenant Colonel Mary Carroll as the first female officer to command a mission. She has a group...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Strength (29 Mar 2017)

Paul Kehoe: The 2015 White Paper on Defence commits to maintaining the strength of the Permanent Defence Force at 9,500 personnel, comprising 7,520 Army, 886 Air Corps and 1,094 Naval Service personnel. The whole-time equivalent strength of the Permanent Defence Force on 28 Feb 2017 stands at 9,070 with 7,293, 701 and 1,076 personnel in the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service, respectively. The Defence...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Strength (29 Mar 2017)

Paul Kehoe: It is a matter for the Chief of Staff and the general staff to operate within the numbers of officers they have. As I have said, the strength level for officers at present is quite strong and stands at 100%, 100%;100%, 91.2%; 93%; 99.2%; 85% and 98% for the ranks of lieutenant general, major general, brigadier general, colonel, lieutenant colonel, commandant, captain and lieutenant,...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Recruitment (29 Mar 2017)

Paul Kehoe: The new public service pay commission has been tasked with objective analysis and advice on the most appropriate pay levels for the public service. This will include members of the Defence Forces and I welcome that. I also welcome the fact the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association signed up to the Lansdowne Road agreement last week. This will mean benefits for...

Other Questions: Overseas Missions (29 Mar 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I do not accept that our troops are being used as pawns or cover for what is going on in the Golan Heights. I am not going to get into the rights and wrongs of what is happening but this is a United Nations-mandated mission set up since 1974. I have been assured by the Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces that all security measures are in place for our troops. Our troops are in the...

Other Questions: Overseas Missions (29 Mar 2017)

Paul Kehoe: The Golan Heights were occupied by Israel in 1967 and purportedly annexed in 1981. Ireland does not recognise Israeli sovereignty over the area nor does any other Government apart from Israel, although Israel would seek to encourage such recognition. The question of sovereignty over the area is not relevant to the mission of UNDOF, which as I stated is a UN-mandated mission to supervise the...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Recruitment (29 Mar 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 24 and 25 together. 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. A number of specific initiatives have been implemented to increase female participation in the Defence Forces including visits by the Defence...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Representative Organisations (29 Mar 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I have listened to the representative organisations, both PDFORRA and the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO. The working group that has been set up will include a member of the Department of Defence. The Department will get feedback from the working group as to how I can proceed and review the current structures. I have seen the conciliation and arbitration process...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Representative Organisations (29 Mar 2017)

Paul Kehoe: The Deputy is comparing the Defence Forces to An Garda Síochána. A case was brought on behalf of An Garda Síochána to the European Committee on Social Rights about restrictions on access to pay negotiations. The committee, as part of its findings, decided that the right to strike prohibition was in breach of the charter. That situation is not directly comparable to our...

Other Questions: Overseas Missions (29 Mar 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I propose to take Question Nos. 7 and 16 together. Does Deputy Wallace wish to introduce his question as well?

Other Questions: Overseas Missions (29 Mar 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 16 together. The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, UNDOF, was established on 31 May 1974 by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 350, 1974, following the agreed disengagement of the Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights in May 1974. UNDOF was established to: maintain the ceasefire between Israel and Syria; supervise the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Representative Organisations (29 Mar 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I am happy that the conciliation and arbitration process in place for the representative organisations is suitable and is working. There might be several issues that the Department and my office might not agree on with the representative organisations but the conciliation and arbitration process is open to them to deal with whatever issues they have. I welcome that PDFORRA signed up as a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Personnel (29 Mar 2017)

Paul Kehoe: The transfer of a member of the Permanent Defence Forces from one service or unit to another is entirely a matter for the military authorities in the light of operational requirements. In general terms, applications for transfers are considered by the military authorities having regard to factors such as the manpower level of the unit in which the applicant is serving, the number of transfer...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Personnel (29 Mar 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I am not aware of a specific time limit for how long an application form spends in the naval base in Haulbowline or in Kilkenny but I would encourage the lad to go to the personnel section if his personal circumstances are on his application for transfer. I cannot enquire into specific cases but I made a general enquiry. There has to be a suitable vacancy in Kilkenny and there cannot be...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defence Forces Personnel (29 Mar 2017)

Paul Kehoe: I know the Deputy from Kilkenny wants to say a word. I do not mind if he wants to speak.