Results 1-14 of 14 for defence forces strength speaker:Cathal Berry

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (16 May 2024)

Cathal Berry: 46. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence how he intends to increase the strength of the Reserve Defence Force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22156/24]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Current Issues Facing Members of the Defence Forces: Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (3 Oct 2023)

Cathal Berry: .... The budget will be announced this day next week. I would be grateful to hear the team's thoughts on what needs to be in the budget next Tuesday to make things better and bearable in the Defence Forces. What would they need to see? Last week we heard that there will be a new high level implementation plan for the Commission on the Defence Forces. Although the commission reported...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Engagement with the Reserve Defence Force Representative Association (11 Jul 2023)

Cathal Berry: ...Most the problems the witnesses have mentioned - this is probably not a question but more of a comment - seem to be down to basic governance. We do not have a dedicated, stand-alone Minister for Defence. Whatever one's views on the Tánaiste are, whether good, bad or indifferent, he cannot do six jobs. He is doing six jobs - or attempting to do six jobs - at the moment. He is the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: High-Level Action Plan for the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Discussion (30 May 2023)

Cathal Berry: ...and I echo the points made by Deputy Carthy and Ms Sinnamon. The pace has been quite slow, particularly when we look at what is happening throughout Europe. Everyone else seemed to scale up their defence capability within weeks of the invasion of Ukraine. We are still very slow and moving at the pace of a snail. This is having an effect. People are looking at our retention rates and...

Consultative Forum on International Security Policy: Statements (18 May 2023)

Cathal Berry: I am grateful to contribute to this important debate on Ireland’s defence and security posture. I welcome the fact that a conversation is finally, belatedly, taking place. For too long Ireland’s defence and security have been treated like kryptonite. We could not even discuss it or look at it in case, as Deputy O’Callaghan pointed out, even to discuss it would mean we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Work and Priorities of the Defence Forces: Engagement with Chief of Staff (21 Mar 2023)

Cathal Berry: I take the Chief of Staff's point that the Permanent Defence Force, comprising the regular troops, is competing with the private sector when it come to recruitment and retention and that is the same across the world, but our Reserve Defence Force is not and it is still perhaps 60% below strength. You can have a job in the private sector and be a member of the Reserve Defence Force. We had...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (14 Feb 2023)

Cathal Berry: ...allocation. Some of the language used, that these payouts are non-discretionary and demand-driven, I agree with to a certain extent. We need to realise that the number of people who leave the Defence Forces is within our control. Our preference would be that our service people stay in service, rather than transition into the pension path. There are 13,000 pensioners, and fewer than...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (19 Jan 2023)

Cathal Berry: 107. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the amount that was returned unspent by the Department of Defence from 2022; if any of this money was from pay savings due to the significantly under strength Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2528/23]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (19 Jan 2023)

Cathal Berry: I thank the Minister for that point of clarification. My question relates to the defence budget. Specifically, I would like to know if any unspent money was returned to the Exchequer by the Department of Defence at the end of last year. If so, where did that money come from? Was it from so-called pay savings, whereby the underspend in defence was as a result of the Defence Forces being...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (12 Jul 2022)

Cathal Berry: My first day in Leinster House was 25 years ago when I was a member of the Defence Forces security detail charged with protecting the campus. I admit to spending a little bit too much time in the Visitors Gallery looking down at proceedings. Little did I know how events would transpire and I would actually end up here today. It is on that basis that I want to welcome the additional...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Reserve Defence Force: Discussion (5 Oct 2021)

Cathal Berry: ...is always a good place to start. I will raise three questions. The first is in light of the legislation that will probably be signed off by the President in the coming weeks to allow Reserve Defence Forces people deploy overseas. What are the witnesses' thoughts on when the first member of the Reserve will deploy overseas? I seek a ballpark answer. Second, there is an Army Reserve...

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Report and Final Stages (30 Jun 2021)

Cathal Berry: I have three brief points to add to the contributions I have made over the past couple of weeks. First, I very much welcome this legislation. This is a historic day for the Reserve Defence Force. Its members have been screaming for this Bill for literally decades and it is finally here. It really is a defining moment for the Reserve Defence Force. It is 60% below strength but I see that...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for the Public Services 2021
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (20 May 2021)

Cathal Berry: I thank the Minister and his team for coming in today and for the opening statement. The Defence Estimates are very clearly itemised. It is very insightful with regard to what is going on in the Defence Forces at the moment. I will go through the Estimates one page at a time, starting with page 3 if that is okay. I will flag a few things. The strength of the Reserve Defence Force at...