Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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649. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the specific delegated functions that have been transferred to Ministers of State appointed in December 2022, in tabular form; and the date of transfer. [1465/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Peter Burke was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Defence on 21 December 2022 to act as a member of the Council of Defence.

Under Section 11 of the Defence Act 1954, there is a requirement that a Council of Defence shall stand established. The section also provides that the Minister of State at the Department of Defence shall be a member of the Council. As such, there is a legislative requirement that there is a Minister of State at the Department of Defence to discharge that function.

No functions of the Minister for Defence have been delegated to the Minister of State and full responsibility for defence policies, the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces remains with the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence who will represent Defence at Cabinet.