Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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812. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the status of the provision of 100-year commemorative medals for serving personnel to commemorate the founding of the State. [21048/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Military medals are awarded to members of the Defence Forces in line with Defence Force Regulation (DFR) A9, which sets out the qualifying criteria, delineates the procedures required for the awarding of Defence Forces Medals and sets out the various types of medal awards.

Óglaigh na hÉireann hold that its origins lie in the Irish Volunteers founded in November 1913, running forward through to the 1916 Rising, the 1919-1921 War of Independence, and the Civil War, therefore, Óglaigh na hÉireann precedes the founding of the State.

As the Deputy will be aware, the 1916 Centenary Commemorative Medal was awarded to circa. 13,200 members of Óglaigh na hÉireann who served in 2016 to celebrate and commemorate the Centenary year. The medal serves to honour the legacy of continuous service by Óglaigh na hÉireann to the State since its foundation.

Currently there are no plans to amend DFR A9 in relation to the introduction of new medals and the question of issuing a medal to Defence Forces personnel to commemorate the founding of the State is not under consideration at this point in time.