Results 9,021-9,040 of 50,136 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Department of Defence: State Claims Agency (21 Feb 2023)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 353, 354 and 355 together. The questions raised by the Deputy could not be answered in the time allowed. The information required to provide an answer to the questions is not held by the Department. The Deputy will be aware that all claims for personal injuries taken by current and former members of the Defence Forces have been delegated to the State Claims...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Communications (21 Feb 2023)

Micheál Martin: Since my appointment as Minister for Defence, I have corresponded with a number of my Defence counterparts and I look forward to engaging with them in-person, both bilaterally and in the format of the Foreign Affairs Council in Defence Ministers format. In early March, I will attend an informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers in Stockholm, which will be an opportunity to engage with...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Expenditure (21 Feb 2023)

Micheál Martin: The information sought by the Deputy is not readily available in the format requested. My officials will collate same and I will arrange to have this data provided to the Deputy in due course.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Advertising (21 Feb 2023)

Micheál Martin: I wish to advise the Deputy, my Department spent the following amounts on advertising and promotion in 2022 and January 2023: Year Purpose of Advertising Amount Paid 2022 Newspaper/Twitter for Be Winter Ready and Be Summer Ready campaigns €94,057.17 Newspaper advertisements seeking expressions of...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Staff (21 Feb 2023)

Micheál Martin: I wish to advise the Deputy that the number of Communications staff currently employed in my Department is 4.5. The cost of salaries, including employer PRSI, for those staff in 2022 was €288,496.81 and it is expected to cost approximately €315,000 in 2023.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (21 Feb 2023)

Micheál Martin: I take it the Deputy is referring specifically to allowances paid to serving members who are engaged on security duties in the Border counties. A specific Border Duty Allowance was introduced in January 1972. It is similar to Security Duty Allowance which is payable to Permanent Defence Force (PDF) personnel engaged on extended security duties in non-border areas. This includes for...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (21 Feb 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Government remains fully committed to the advancement of the Reserve Defence Force (RDF). The 2015 White Paper on Defence is quite clear that there is a continued requirement to retain and develop the Reserve and this is not in question. The Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces (CODF), published last February, equally serves to reinforce that commitment and the Report...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (21 Feb 2023)

Micheál Martin: As at 31 January 2023, there were 7,959 Permanent Defence Force (PDF) personnel. The following table shows the requested breakdown by rank. OFFICER LT GEN MAJ GEN BRIG GEN COL LT COL COMDT CAPT LT 1 2 7 38 132 343 317 ...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (21 Feb 2023)

Micheál Martin: As at 31 January 2023, the number of female personnel in the Permanent Defence Force was 563. The table below shows the number of women in the Permanent Defence Force in each of the last 5 years. Year 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 Total 564 598 603 598 601 The Defence Forces are an...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Ukraine War (21 Feb 2023)

Micheál Martin: My Department has been working across Government in the provision of accommodation and other supports required of the Defence Organisation in response to the Ukrainian crisis since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. Following a request from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Affairs, lands at Gormanston military installation, Co. Meath were...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Legal Cases (21 Feb 2023)

Micheál Martin: The question raised by the Deputy could not be answered in the time allowed. Personal Injuries claims are delegated to the State Claims Agency to manage on behalf of the Minister for Defence. The Chief State Solicitor’s Office provides legal representation in respect of all other types of claims taken against the Minister for Defence for example Judicial Review, Employment Law...

Co-ordination of International Protection Services: Statements (16 Feb 2023)

Micheál Martin: Hear, hear.

Co-ordination of International Protection Services: Statements (16 Feb 2023)

Micheál Martin: Offering protection to those seeking it when fleeing war or persecution lies at the very core of the values of every free democracy. It is an expression of humanity and solidarity. It is a European value founded on a deep understanding of migration in our history and the terrible things that happened when borders were so tightly sealed that previously unimaginable tragedies and atrocities...

Civil Defence Bill 2023: Second Stage (15 Feb 2023)

Micheál Martin: That is fine. I thank all the Deputies who contributed. We have had a good manifestation, from across the House, of the esteem in which the Civil Defence is held by communities, as the Deputies articulated. I thank them for their fulsome tributes to the Civil Defence and look forward to teasing out on Committee Stage the issues they raised, such as funding issues, investment in...

Civil Defence Bill 2023: Second Stage (15 Feb 2023)

Micheál Martin: It was 2,700, I think.

Civil Defence Bill 2023: Second Stage (15 Feb 2023)

Micheál Martin: I move: “That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to present this Bill to the House. The purposes of this relatively short but important Bill is to modernise and reform the current legislative basis for the Civil Defence organisation. There is a requirement to do this as the existing regulatory framework, consisting of enactments dating from 1939 to 2012, no longer...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Birth Certificates (15 Feb 2023)

Micheál Martin: My Department is responsible for processing Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) applications for people who are born abroad and claim Irish citizenship through a grandparent born in Ireland or through a parent who has claimed citizenship also through FBR, Naturalisation or Post Nuptial Citizenship. Demand for this service increased significantly as a result of the Brexit vote in the UK. The...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ukraine War (15 Feb 2023)

Micheál Martin: The response by the European Union to Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been unprecedented in its unity, firmness and determination. It has encompassed political, financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support for Ukraine. The EU has also imposed the most extensive package of sanctions in its history, in response to Russia's aggression, adopting a 9th package on 16 December...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Freedom of Information (15 Feb 2023)

Micheál Martin: The Department of Foreign Affairs is diligent in ensuring that it fully complies with the Freedom of Information Act, including that it publishes at regular intervals, the logs of all non-personal Freedom of Information requests. The logs for all such non-personal requests received each year from 2015 to 2022 are publicly available on DFA.ie at the following link...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (15 Feb 2023)

Micheál Martin: Military life places unique demands on individuals and it is necessary that Defence Forces personnel are prepared to meet the challenges of all military operations. For this reason compulsory retirement ages for ranks in the Permanent Defence Force are considerably lower than in other employments. The age and fitness profile of the Permanent Defence Force was an issue of serious concern...