Results 9,241-9,260 of 17,012 for speaker:Paul Kehoe

Written Answers — Department of Defence: European Council Meetings (16 Dec 2016)

Paul Kehoe: The next expected meeting of Defence Ministers is the informal meeting to be hosted by Malta as part of their Presidency of the EU Council scheduled to take place on 27 and 28 April, 2017. The agenda will not be issued until closer to the date but it is anticipated that discussions will revolve around progress on recent FAC Council Conclusions on Implementing the EUGS on Security and...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Ministerial Travel (16 Dec 2016)

Paul Kehoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 571 and 572 together. Details of usage by the Department of Defence of the Ministerial Air Transport Service (MATS) from March 2011 to the end of November 2016 are set out in the tabular statement below. Some of these flights were shared with other Government Departments.Gulfstream IV Date Return Date Min. Time On Board Route Minister 30/11/2011...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Appointments to State Boards (16 Dec 2016)

Paul Kehoe: The only State body currently under the aegis of the Department of Defence is the Army Pensions Board. The Army Pensions Board is an independent statutory body established under the Army Pensions Act 1927. The Act specifies that the Board shall consist of a chairman and two ordinary members. The two ordinary members must be qualified medical practitioners of whom one must be an officer of...

Council of Europe: Appointment of Representatives (15 Dec 2016)

Paul Kehoe: Well done, Barry. Will you look after Senator Mullen?

Seanad: Be Winter-Ready Campaign: Statements (15 Dec 2016)

Paul Kehoe: As chairman of the Government's task force on emergency planning, I am delighted to brief Senators on the Be Winter-Ready campaign. The campaign is now an established annual event intended to give the public advice on the particular challenges the winter period can present. It also informs members of the public where they can source information on how to help themselves and others and...

Seanad: Be Winter-Ready Campaign: Statements (15 Dec 2016)

Paul Kehoe: I thank all of the Senators for their contributions to this discussion. Most emergency situations, including severe weather events, are responded to and managed locally and regionally. While the response is co-ordinated and managed at a local level in the first instance, as was the case last winter, the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government has the lead role with...

Seanad: Be Winter-Ready Campaign: Statements (15 Dec 2016)

Paul Kehoe: A number of Senators raised the issue of insurance, which are matters for the OPW and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney. I appeal to the insurance companies to recognise the great work that the OPW has been doing and the millions of euros it has invested in flood relief measures in towns and villages across the country. I believe they should be offering cover to householders in general...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Ministerial Correspondence (14 Dec 2016)

Paul Kehoe: Military vehicles undergo regular maintenance and overhauls to ensure that they are roadworthy. It is not the practice to retain a vehicle in service if it is not considered roadworthy. When, having regard to age, condition and mileage, vehicles are considered by military transport personnel to have reached the end of their economic life,the vehicle is withdrawn from operational service and...

Topical Issue Debate: Civil Defence (13 Dec 2016)

Paul Kehoe: I acknowledge the Deputy's interest in this specific area. He has had much interaction with me on it. Civil Defence is a volunteer-based organisation which supports the front-line emergency services. It operates in partnership between the Department of Defence and local authorities throughout Ireland. As Minister of State with responsibility for defence, one of my functions is to provide...

Topical Issue Debate: Civil Defence (13 Dec 2016)

Paul Kehoe: During the summer, I sent an official from the Department of Defence to a public meeting regarding Columb Barracks in Mullingar to listen to the concerns of the local community. I understood at that time that a feasibility study was to be carried out. I have not yet received such a study from the local community. I am waiting on it. The involvement of Westmeath County Council would be...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions (Resumed): Naval Service Operations (13 Dec 2016)

Paul Kehoe: I congratulate the Irish Defence Forces, which include the Air Corps, the Army and the Naval Service. on receiving the European Movement award yesterday in Dublin. The award was presented by the Taoiseach to the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions (Resumed): Military Aircraft (13 Dec 2016)

Paul Kehoe: The White Paper on Defence 2015 provides for the establishment of a new fixed cycle of defence reviews. These reviews will take the form of a White Paper update every three years and a strategic defence review every six years. The first White Paper update will commence in the third quarter of 2018, with the first strategic defence review commencing in early 2021. Our policy on neutrality...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions (Resumed): Military Aircraft (13 Dec 2016)

Paul Kehoe: Among the roles assigned to the Defence Forces in the White Paper on Defence is the provision of aid to the civil power. In practice, this means that the Defence Forces assist An Garda Síochána when requested to do so. Since 2003, the Garda has requested support from the Defence Forces at Shannon Airport on occasion. The issues of overflights by foreign military aircraft and the...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions (Resumed): Military Aircraft (13 Dec 2016)

Paul Kehoe: Under the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Order 1973 the carriage of weapons through Shannon Airport on commercial aircraft is prohibited unless an exemption has been obtained in advance from my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. The carriage of personal weapons by foreign military personnel travelling on chartered aircraft...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions (Resumed): Military Medals (13 Dec 2016)

Paul Kehoe: After my appointment, this was one of the first issues which I wanted to recognise. I have looked at this case upside down, inside out and every way possible. I recognise this is a complex situation, as Deputy James Lawless pointed out. There are rules and regulations around the presentation of medals and who receives them. There have to be regulations. When one sees the movie, "The...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions (Resumed): Naval Service Operations (13 Dec 2016)

Paul Kehoe: Following a Government decision on 12 May 2015, three Naval Service vessels,LE Eithne, LE Niamhand LE Samuel Beckett, were deployed to the Mediterranean between May and November 2015 to assist the Italian authorities with the migrant crisis. During that period, 8,592 people were rescued in the Mediterranean by Irish Naval Service vessels. On 6 April 2016, the Government approved the return...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions (Resumed): Naval Service Operations (13 Dec 2016)

Paul Kehoe: There are several policy issues around Ireland being part of the full Operation Sophia. Ireland’s response to the humanitarian effort in the Mediterranean in 2015 and 2016 was effective, however. I am not sure if the Deputy saw the programme "The Crossing" last night on television. It was excellent coverage of the work of the Naval Service in the Mediterranean. There were some...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions (Resumed): Naval Service Operations (13 Dec 2016)

Paul Kehoe: If we were to participate in the full mission, a number of caveats would be involved. The naval operation against human smugglers and traffickers in the Mediterranean, Operation Sophia, is one element of the comprehensive EU response to the crisis. The EU operation was launched at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 22 June 2015. Its mission is to identify, capture and dispose of...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions (Resumed): Military Medals (13 Dec 2016)

Paul Kehoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 36, 40 and 44 in the names of Deputy Clare Daly, Deputy Lawless and Deputy Clare Daly, respectively.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions (Resumed): Military Medals (13 Dec 2016)

Paul Kehoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 36, 40 and 44 together. On the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the siege of Jadotville, I decided to issue a unit citation to honour the collective actions and bravery of the men of A Company, 35th Infantry Battalion. My Department organised and hosted a ceremony in Custume Barracks, Athlone, on Saturday, 17 September 2016, at which a unit citation...