Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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36. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if any concerns have been highlighted to his Department in relation to the ongoing Naval Service monitoring of submarine communication cables in Irish waters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50882/23]

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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38. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if plans are in place to protect undersea cables running through Irish waters against potential sabotage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50203/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 36 and 38 together.

As the Deputy will be aware, we like many other countries in Europe have witnessed a fundamental change in our security environment in the last year with an increased focus on maritime security and the protection of subsea cables. The security of Ireland’s sub-sea infrastructure is a matter of utmost importance for the Government.

Following the attacks on Nordstream 1 and 2 in October 2022, my colleague Mr. Eamonn Ryan TD, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications sought support from my Department in relation to additional measures that could be put in place to ensure that critical off-shore infrastructure including data cables are protected. As a result of which enhanced patrolling of the Irish Sea in the vicinity of priority offshore infrastructure is taking place by a mixture of air and naval platforms.

For the Deputy’s awareness the Naval Service, as the State's principal sea-going agency, is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles. While the main daily tasking of the Naval Service is to provide a fishery protection service in accordance with our obligations as a member of the EU, it also carries out a number of other non-fishery related tasks in tandem with maritime surveillance.

In addition, the Air Corps Maritime Patrol Squadron also supports this role providing aerial assistance to the Naval Service in patrolling the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) using the two CASA CN 235 maritime patrol aircraft soon to be replace by the two new C295 maritime patrol aircraft equipped with state-of-the-art surveillance and communication equipment.

The Defence Forces routinely monitor foreign vessels with both Naval Service assets and Air Corps maritime patrol aircraft, as well as remote monitoring on a 24/7 basis from the Naval Operations Command Centre in Haulbowline. It should be noted that foreign vessels transiting Irish waters must do so in compliance with international law and may be subject to sighting and observation by the Naval Service and Air Corps without their innocent passage being infringed.

The Deputy can be assured that my officials will continue to engage as and when required with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications in relation to this matter.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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41. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his Departments plans to modernise the Irish Defence Forces equipment and technology; what portion of the €1.23 billion allocated to the Defence Forces in Budget 2024 will be assigned to this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50897/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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A key priority for me as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the capabilities of the Defence Forces are maintained, developed and enhanced in order to ensure that the Defence Forces can carry out all of the roles assigned to it by Government.

Enhancing the physical working environment and equipment for our Defence Personnel is key feature of the recently published Strategic Framework which sets out the immediate actions to be taken to support the transformation of the Defence Forces into a fit for purpose organisation to defend the State and meet the challenges of today and the future.

This includes the implementation of the Commission on the Defence Forces (CoDF) recommendations, particularly with regard to the enhancement of Defence Force Capabilities. The Commission's report included a wide range of further recommendations in relation to capabilities and funding.

In response, the Government approved a move to a higher level of ambition, known as ‘Level of Ambition 2’ (LOA2), as set out in the capability framework devised by the Commission. The Defence annual capital budget for 2024 is €176 million, an allocation which ensured that the capital budget for Defence is maintained at its highest ever level. Implementation of the Commission's recommendations will result in significant increased investment in capability development over the coming years

More specifically, capability priorities for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service are considered as part of the capability development planning processes which include both a five-year Equipment Development Plan and a Built Infrastructure Programme.

The Equipment Development Plan recognises the need to maintain and upgrade military capabilities having regard to emerging priorities, operational requirements and changes in technology. There is a significant body of work currently underway to ensure that the Defence Forces have the required capabilities with equipment projects in various stages of the project lifecycle.

There has been significant investment in recent years in the armoured fleet of vehicles with the enhancement of force protection and mobility with the mid-life refit of the MOWAG Piranha III vehicles project nearing completion and the delivery of Armoured Utility Vehicles. These projects have seen the integration of cutting edge technology and equipment into the vehicles.

Technology is an enabler of modern military forces and a Software Defined Radio Project which is the next generation communications system for the Defence Forces is currently in the marketplace. This complex project is being designed and customised to meet the Defence Forces' requirements and to incorporate systems and equipment platforms, it will support the joint common operational picture.

Work on capital investment in aircraft continues with the recent placing of a contract with Airbus for a military transport aircraft for the Defence Forces. The Airbus C295W transport aircraft is highly versatile and will provide a dedicated asset to support the Defence Forces military airlift transport requirements and provide a wide contingent capability.

This transport aircraft will enable the Air Corps to provide a wide range of services including logistics support and transport of troops and equipment, medical evacuation and air ambulance, Special Operations Forces operations and a general utility role. Delivery of this aircraft is expected in 2025. This transport aircraft will complement the two Airbus C295W Maritime Patrol Aircraft delivered earlier this year. These aircraft are primarily for maritime surveillance, particularly fishery protection.

With regard to Naval Service projects, two Inshore Patrol Vessels (IPVs), purchased from the New Zealand government last year to replace the now decommissioned LÉ Orla and LÉ Ciara, were transported to Ireland following a yearlong project to regenerate and modify the vessels. Following their arrival in Cork, the IPVs are undergoing a comprehensive programme of works including crew familiarisation and training. They will become fully operational when all of these targets are met and as soon as possible.

These projects, across the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service, are a clear demonstration of the Government’s strong commitment to support the transformation of the Defence Forces into a modern, agile military force, capable of responding to increasingly complex security challenges.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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46. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence in view of the absence of an army barracks in the central Border area, if further consideration will be given to the re-opening of Dún Uí Néill Cavan as a forward operating base; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50868/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Commission on the Defence Forces was established on foot of a commitment in the Programme for Government. The Commission undertook a significant body of work, encompassing wide-ranging terms of reference. It recommended significant changes for the Defence Forces and Defence provision in Ireland. It covers high level Defence Forces structures, defence capabilities, organisation, culture and human resources, the Reserve Defence Force and funding.

There are a number of recommendations contained in the report which may impact on the structure of the Defence Forces, including that the structure of the Army be reviewed, and in that context, the disposition of Units across the Defence Forces may be considered.

As one of the early actions arising from the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces, work is progressing on the Army Force Design process in order to create "a more agile and flexible force design structure". An external consultant has been appointed with Terms of Reference assigned to consider how a future Army Force Design process should be planned and executed to meet current and future operational taskings and other government assigned tasks.

Phase one of the Force Design process is scheduled to be completed and submitted to the Chief of Staff for by the end of Q4 2023. An Army Force Design Team has also been established with a Colonel Rank in the lead with initial supporting staff appointed and tasked to progress post-phase one planning.

A detailed implementations plan of the next phase of delivering on the recommendations from the Commission on the Defence Forces is expected to be published shortly.

Currently there are no plans to consider the Dún Uí Néill site in Cavan as a forward operating base, it is currently being used by Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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47. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence whether he has received any recent information on complaints of bullying and harassment in the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50690/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, as Minister for Defence, I have no statutory role in the military discipline system as enshrined in Part V of the Defence Act.

Any complaint or allegation of unacceptable behaviour in the Defence Forces is currently subject to administrative investigative procedures as outlined in Defence Forces Administrative Instruction A7 and includes, but is not limited to, allegations of sexual harassment, harassment, discrimination and/or bullying.

The Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, who is responsible for matters of discipline in the Defence Forces, provides quarterly reports on the number of complaints of unacceptable behaviour, made under Defence Forces Administrative Instruction A7, to my office for my information.

These reports detail ongoing investigations by the military authorities into reported cases of alleged unacceptable behaviour in the Defence Forces. The latest report received covers the period Q3 2023 and outlines progress on 22 live cases. Given that investigations are continuing in relation to these cases, I will not be commenting further.

While there are policies, systems and procedures in place for dealing with allegations and complaints of inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, it is clear from the conclusions of the Report from the Judge-led Independent Review Group, brought to Government and published earlier this year, that significant change is required to ensure that every member of the Defence Forces has the right to undertake their duties in a safe environment with a culture of zero-tolerance for any kind of bullying, discrimination, harassment or sexual abuse.

As I have already detailed in earlier questions, I am currently progressing a comprehensive programme of actions to address the extremely serious issues identified in the IRG report. The Strategic Framework recently approved by me on 26 September last, sets a very ambitious pathway for my Department and the Defence Forces over the next 16 months, towards the transformation of the Defence Forces.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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48. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his views on the role of the Defence Forces in mitigating the effects of climate change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50717/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Climate Action Plan 2021 (CAP21) committed that public sector bodies will reduce Green House Gases by 51% by 2030, improve energy efficiency from 33% (2020) to 50% by 2030 and produce a Climate Action Roadmap by the end of March 2023. The Climate Action Roadmap is a document to be produced by public sector bodies which communicates how each public body aims to meet the requirements of the Climate Action Mandate 2022 and reach its 2030 carbon and energy efficiency targets.

The Department of Defence and the Defence Forces have recently published its Climate Action Roadmap, identifying what measures need to be in place to meet the 2030 targets. The Defence Forces are committed to developing measures under this roadmap and shares the ambition in the EU Green Deal to create a carbon neutral continent by 2050, and over the next decade will transform from a high to low carbon organisation without compromising operational outputs.

The Defence Forces are actively engaged in reducing its carbon footprint through a number of initiatives, such as: installation of e-charging points in all military installations to promote use of electric vehicles; replacement of suitable elements of the transport fleet to electric vehicles; reduction in the use of fossil fuels; installation of solar panels on many Defence Force buildings. The Defence Forces will continue to mitigate the effects of climate change in line with the Governments Climate Action Plan through future initiatives and use of emerging greener technologies.

The Defence Forces have reduced energy consumption by 24.7% since 2009 and also managed to continue to achieve reductions based on the 2016-2018 baseline upon which 2030 targets are calculated, with a 19% reduction achieved since this period.

The Defence Forces also continues to expend up to 12% of its annual Capital allocation for land fleet procurement on electrically powered, zero-emission vehicles (EPVs) and hybrid-powered vehicles.

As our energy providers move towards providing greener services our CO2 usage is automatically reducing. The HQ building in Newbridge uses a wood pellet burner as the main source of heating for our Newbridge Office and our target for achieving 51% reduction in Green House Gases by 2030 is well underway.

This proactive approach is also reflected in the Defence Forces Built Infrastructure Programme 2022 – 2027 which commits that all future projects, be they new build or refurbishments, will take account of the Government’s Climate Action Plan.

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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50. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the actions he and his Department intend to take to improve gender balance in leadership and decision-making in the Irish Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50749/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is Government policy to increase female participation rates at all levels of the Defence Forces.

As of 31 October 2023, the representation of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) stands at 7%.

It should be noted that while this percentage is far from satisfactory, it is not out of kilter with standards across international militaries. For example, the percentage of women in the UK Armed Forces is 11.5%.

The Chief of Staff aims to increase the percentage of females recruited this year to 9%.

A number of initiatives to both attract females and to retain serving female members in the Defence Forces are in train. For example:

• A female specific recruitment team is being established to co-ordinate the attendance of female specific recruiting teams from across the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps, at national and regional level events.
• The team will also engage with the Marketing and Media partner that has been engaged to assist with recruitment advertising, to see what opportunities are available to showcase a career in the Defence Forces for women.
• A Gender Equality and Diversity Officer has been in place for a number of years. Gender Advisors are available to all Brigades and Services, and trained Gender Focal Points are deployed with all overseas units and ships in order to promote a gender perspective in operations.
• In line with a recommendation in the Commission on the Defence Forces, the Military Authorities are finalising preparations to recruit a Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor.
• The Military Authorities have also put in place arrangements for participation by female Officers at Defence Forces Board level.
• A joint Department of Defence and Defence Forces Women’s Network was established in January 2022. The network has organised a number of events during the year, with strong attendance.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 51, 55 and 56 together.

As Minister, I am deeply committed to the transformation of the Defence Forces into a modern fit for purpose organisation to defend the State and meet the challenges of today and the future.

Following the publication of the Report of the Independent Review Group on Dignity and Equality issues in the Defence Forces in March 2023, I set out my priority to develop one Strategic Framework for the transformation of the Defence Forces, so it would be fully understandable to everyone.

The Strategic Framework, which I published in September 2023, brings together into one overarching document, the immediate actions to be taken to support the transformation of the Defence Forces.

My priority within this transformation is cultural change above all else. The end goal of this cultural change is to ensure that the Defence Forces is an equal opportunities employer, reflective of contemporary Irish society and that is providing a safe workplace where

• self-worth is actively promoted,
• mutual respect becomes a dominant feature,
• all members are treated with dignity,
• in an organisation that continuously evolves to deliver positive change.

• Strategic HR and Cultural Change
• New Command and Control and Joint Structures to be established;
• Services to be reformed and restructured;
• Reserve Defence Force to be revitalised; and
• Joint Capability Development to be implemented

• Existing Sea-going Allowances have been replaced with less complex Sea-going Duty Measures through the approval to increase patrol duty allowance. There will be double payment after ten days and the tax credit will also be retained for one more year .
• Healthcare afforded to officer ranks has been extended to enlisted ranks.
• All personnel of Private 3 Star/Able Seaman rank are now paid the full rate of Military Service Allowance (MSA) applicable to the rank, and, the requirement for that cohort to ‘mark time’ for the first three years at that rank has been removed. (Mark Time refers to the fact that there were no annual pay increments, for the first three years on the payscale of Private 3 Star/Able Seaman. This payscale also includes the rank of Airman.)

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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54. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the annual capital investment required to meet Level of Ambition 2 of the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces; and the amount allocated in each of the years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. [50878/23]

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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59. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the reason the capital investment in Defence spending in Budget 2024 is far below the target set in document level of Ambition 2; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50894/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 54 and 59 together.

The Government approved a move to Level of Ambition 2 (LOA2), as recommended by the Commission on the Defence Forces in July, 2022. As part of that decision, the Government committed to increasing the funding allocated to defence to €1.5 billion (at January 2022 prices) by 2028, through the annual Estimates process. Delivery of this objective will allow the required transformation and investment in Defence recruitment, equipment and infrastructure that was identified by the Commission. It is worth noting that the Commission Report included an approximation of the likely annual capital costs of LOA2 rather than an outline of annual capital investment targets to be achieved during the transition to that level.

I remain fully committed to delivering on this strategic funding objective as evidenced by the fact that the Defence Vote Group allocation for 2024 has increased by €114 million (10%) since 2022, when the Government approved the Commission Report.

In any given year, the Defence budget allocation is determined within an overarching budgetary framework which encompasses existing NDP multi-annual capital allocations and remains cognisant of the level of resources available, commensurate with defence policy requirements. It is within this context that the annual Estimates discussions have taken place with the Department of Public Expenditure NDP Delivery & Reform, to include full consideration of Defence capital investment priorities for 2024 and beyond.

Budget 2024 provided a capital investment allocation of €176 million to Defence, an allocation which ensured that the capital budget for Defence is maintained at its highest ever level. The principal demand drivers of Defence capital requirements are the ongoing acquisition and renewal of military equipment, along with the development and upgrade of Defence Forces built infrastructure and ICT capacity. The primary return on Defence capital investment is the maintenance and development of necessary military capabilities, which provide the means by which the Defence Forces contribute to national and international peace and security and fulfil all other roles assigned by Government.

I should also note that Defence will be seeking further capital funding for 2024 as part of the allocation of €0.25 billion earmarked for 2024 to be funded from exchequer windfall receipts, as set out in the Summer Economic Statement and, beyond that, will ensure that further progress is made through strong positive engagement with DPENDPDR on an anticipated review of Sectoral NDP multi-annual capital allocations for the medium term, set to commence in 2024.

The capital allocation provided to Defence over the 2021 to 2024 timeframe is as follows –

- 2021 - €131 million;

- 2022 - €141 million;

- 2023 - €176 million, and

- 2024 - €176 million.

This level of capital funding demonstrates the Government’s strong commitment to support the transformation of the Defence Forces into a modern, agile military force, capable of responding to increasingly complex security threats.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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57. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the measures that are being taken to ensure the safety our Defence Forces deployed in Lebanon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50881/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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As of 01 November, the Defence Forces have 468 personnel serving between the three UN missions in the Middle East region – UNIFIL (319), UNDOF (136) and UNTSO (13).

All Defence Forces’ personnel, including personnel serving in Lebanon (with UNTSO and UNIFIL), are maintaining a high level of vigilance and continue to monitor the developing situation in their respective mission areas.

Defence Forces’ peacekeepers are well trained prior to deployment and prepared to anticipate events such as occasions of sporadic fire in their Area of Operations. This includes taking shelter in protected positions, as they have had to do on several occasions since the outbreak of hostilities.

In all of their missions , Defence Forces’ personnel comply fully with all UN security precautions, including taking shelter in protected positions as appropriate.

The safety and security of Ireland’s Defence Forces’ personnel is of paramount concern to the Government. I am in ongoing contact with the Chief of Staff and the Department of Defence and being kept apprised of all developments in those areas in which Defence Forces’ personnel are deployed.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely along with our partners in the UN and the wider international community.