Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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84. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence when the report on the Consultative Forum on International Security will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42552/23]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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87. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence when he expects to receive the report of the Consultative Forum on International Security Policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42460/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 84, 87 and 116 together.

The security situation in Europe has changed fundamentally since Russia’s illegal and unprovoked attack on Ukraine, which has resulted in major conflict returning to the European continent for the first time in decades. Millions of civilians have been forced to flee and take refuge across Europe.

In the context of this changed geopolitical security, I convened a national Consultative Forum on International Security Policy in June. This was the first time the State has ever embarked on a national conversation on security and defence issues in this manner.

The aim of the Forum was to provide an opportunity for discussion on the current global and European security environment, the security threats facing Ireland and the policy options to address these. There was engagement from a wide range of stakeholders, including members of the public, to explore and discuss our international security policy in detail.

The Forum took place over four days in Cork, Galway and Dublin, with 80 panellists and moderators and approximately 1,000 attendees in person. There were eighteen different sessions covering a broad spectrum of security and defence topics. All discussions were live-streamed, with over 10,000 online views. In addition, over 850 written submissions were received through the public consultation process.

One of my key aims in convening this Forum was to ensure that discussions on Ireland's security policy are well-informed and are based on facts and evidence. All the individuals who spoke brought different perspectives, different lived experiences and expertise and different policy approaches.

The Chair of the Consultative Forum, Louise Richardson DBE, is responsible for the production of a report, which I expect to receive in the coming weeks and will then bring to Government. Her report will be an important contribution to this national conversation and I look forward to receiving it.

I would encourage everyone with an interest in Ireland's foreign and security policy to take the opportunity to listen back to the discussions at the Forum over the four days. The recordings of all of the sessions can be accessed on www.gov.ie. The proceedings of the Forum provide a rich, nuanced and diverse range of perspectives on the challenges facing Ireland in the current global security environment and the variety of policy options we have to address these.