Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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6. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the status of the investigation into the killing of a member of the Defence Forces in Lebanon in December 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4946/23]

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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63. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if has he full confidence in the investigation into the death of a person (details supplied) following his visit to Lebanon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5031/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 6, 55 and 63 together.

On 14th December 2022, eight personnel from the 121st Infantry Battalion were involved in an incident resulting in the death of Private Seán Rooney and injuries suffered by a number of others, including Trooper Shane Kearney who suffered critical injuries.

This tragic event has brought home to all of us the fragility of peace in Lebanon and the tragedy that war and conflict can bring to so many innocent people.

In addition to a Defence Forces multi-disciplinary team investigation into the operational circumstances of the fatal incident, Private Rooney's death is also the subject of a number of parallel investigations, in particular the criminal investigation being carried out by the Lebanese authorities as well as the standard UNIFIL investigation that arises in relation to such situations. An Garda Síochána, pursuant to the provisions of the Coroners Act 1962 (as amended), are carrying out an investigation for the purposes of preparing report for the Coroner.

The House will appreciate that it is not appropriate for me to comment further in relation to any of these investigations at this time.

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit and meet with the personnel of the 121st Inf Battalion. As well as being able to express my sympathy and that of the Government on the loss of their colleague, Private Sean Rooney, it also gave me the opportunity to express my appreciation for the work that they and hundreds of other Defence Forces personnel are doing to contribute to peace and stability in fragile regions of the world.

During my trip to Lebanon, I met with United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Mr Jean-Pierre Lacroix, and he indicated to me that, upon completion of the investigation, Ireland will be informed of the findings, which is likely to be some time later in February.  

I also met with the Lebanese Minister for Defence Mr Maurice Sleem, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs & Emigrants Dr Abdullah Bou Habib during by recent visit.  I underlined to the Lebanese Ministers the need to ensure that the ongoing Lebanese investigation into Private Rooney's death, is as thorough as possible.  I reiterated the Irish Government's determination that all of the facts and circumstances of the incident in which Private Rooney was killed are fully established and that those responsible are brought to justice.

While these investigations are underway, I don’t propose to speculate on the circumstances of the incident and nor would it be helpful for me to do so.

As I said when I was in Lebanon last week, the Government is absolutely determined that all of the facts and circumstances of the incident are fully established and that no stone will be left unturned to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.

The tradition of UN Peacekeeping, in which we have participated for over 60 years, is about saving lives and ensuring others can enjoy the gift of peace.  This is the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of that noblest of objectives – the pursuit of peace.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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7. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the strategies and improvements required to attract females to enlist in the Defence Forces and to feel fully respected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5032/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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In terms of recruitment strategies generally, as I have already highlighted, my immediate focus is on stabilising the staffing situation in the Naval Service, and thereafter on bringing the strength of the Naval Service and Defence Forces generally, to the numbers required to meet the agreed level of ambition arising from the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces.  Within this commitment, I wish to confirm that it is Government policy to increase female participation rates at all levels across the Defence Forces. 

The High Level Action Plan agreed by Government on the Commission on the Defence Forces contains a range of recommendations designed to assist in increasing female participation in the Defence Forces. A number of these recommendations have been identified as early actions, including the appointment of a senior Gender Advisor at Colonel level, options for female participation at General Staff level, review of fitness standards, and the development of gender, diversity and unconscious bias training. These are critical recommendations which will underpin the commitment to moving to a strong representation by women across the ranks. 

I would say that a number of initiatives are already in place with a view to increasing the level of female participation e.g.

- A Gender Equality andDiversity Officer to promote gender equalitypolicies and training 

- A Defence Forces Women'sNetwork with the aim of increasing the participationof female personnel.

-  Special consideration ispaid to women as a target group for recruitment within the generalrecruitment framework.  I have been advised that the Defence Forces have engaged a Marketing and Media partner to assist with recruitment advertising to ensure engagement with the recruitment demographic across social media and other media platforms.

While in Lebanon recently, I met with a number of female serving members who described the positive experiences in the Defence Forces and the opportunities they were able to avail of in terms of achieving valuable qualifications.  This was heartening to hear and reinforces the fact that a key element of any successful organisation is that its members can undertake their work and avail of opportunities for advancement, in an environment underpinned by dignity, equality and respect.

The Judge-led Independent Review Group, established on 25 January 2022  has been examining the systems, policies and procedures for dealing with issues relating to bullying, discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and sexual misconduct in the Defence Forces as well as the prevailing workplace culture.

As I have already mentioned earlier, the Group are nearing the conclusion of the report and it’s expected to be submitted to me later this week.  I am very much looking forward to receiving this Report which I will be considering in full.

Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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12. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his plans for the Reserve Defence Force in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5135/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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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 as the Deputy will be aware, that Report contains many recommendations on the future role and structure of the RDF.

Two recommendations from the report, which have been identified as Early Actions, relate to the RDF, namely the establishment of the Office of Reserve Affairs (ORA), and the development of a Regeneration Plan for the Reserve.

Planning by the military authorities has commenced on establishing the ORA and once this is established, it will be actively involved in implementing the other accepted recommendations of the CoDF. 

This process will also take into consideration, of course, the recommendations relating to the structure and strength of the RDF, which include that the future establishment of the RDF should be increased and should include, at a minimum, an Air Force Reserve of 200, and a Navy Reserve of 400. 

The Deputy may also be aware that a recruitment drive for the RDF was launched in March 2022, which was advertised across a number of media channels. I'm told that Recruit Liaison Officers across the RDF conducted local recruitment to attract applicants for this campaign. 

Over 1000 applications were received during this window, which is very encouraging, and I understand that the majority of those applications are now through the initial assessment stages and are currently moving to the medicals process.

To date, 90 RDF recruits have been inducted into the Defence Forces with further inductions scheduled, and the military authorities have additionally advised me that once the body of work arising from last year's campaign is completed, consideration will be given to the launch of a further recruitment initiative in mid-2023.

I would like to assure the Deputy that it is my intention, and that of the Chief of Staff, to ensure that the momentum behind the regeneration of the RDF will be maintained throughout 2023 and beyond,  thereby enabling us, going forward, to create a Reserve Defence Force that can seamlessly train, operate and deploy with the Permanent Defence Force, both nationally and internationally.