Questions

26. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence to outline in full the operational requirements criteria that were established prior to the procurement of the Dassault Falcon 6X; who authored these criteria; whether the criteria were drafted by uniformed Defence Forces personnel, civilian Department staff, or external consultants; whether the criteria were reviewed and approved by the Chief of Staff of the Defe…

27. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether the primary operational role of the Dassault Falcon 6X is ministerial and government transport, VIP transport, Defence Forces operational transport, maritime patrol, or a combination thereof; what proportion of projected annual flight hours are allocated to each role; whether a dedicated ministerial or government transport aircraft of this specification re…

28. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence to explain to the Dáil the operational defence justification for the procurement of an aircraft with a 14-person passenger capacity at a time when the Naval Service cannot fully crew its existing fleet, reservists are reportedly purchasing their own equipment, and the Department's own National Maritime Security Strategy 2026-2030 acknowledges critical gaps in mari…

29. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether the operational requirements criteria that led to the procurement of the Dassault Falcon 6X have been published or are available under Freedom of Information; whether any alternative aircraft types were assessed against these criteria and if so, which types were considered and the reasons they were rejected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. …

30. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether the 14-person passenger capacity of the Dassault Falcon 6X represents a reduction, increase, or equivalence relative to the passenger capacity of the aircraft it replaces or supplements in the Air Corps fleet; whether this capacity was identified as a specific operational requirement by the Defence Forces Chief of Staff; whether any scenario planning was c…

31. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence to provide a full itemised list of all aircraft, naval vessels, armoured vehicles, weapons systems, surveillance equipment, communications systems, and all other capital military equipment procured or contracted for procurement by the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces since the publication of the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces in Februar…

32. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence to provide a breakdown of the total capital equipment budget of the Defence Forces in each of the years 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025; the proportion spent on naval vessels, aircraft, land systems, cyber and communications, and other categories respectively; the number of procurement projects currently at each stage of the project lifecycle as referenced in the Natio…

33. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the current status of the Naval Service fleet, specifying each vessel by name, class, age, current operational status, and whether it is currently seaworthy and crewed to full complement; the number of sea days recorded by the Naval Service in each of the years 2019 to 2025 inclusive; how this compares to any target sea days figure recommended by the Commission on…

34. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the current status of the Air Corps fleet, specifying each aircraft by type, age, current operational status, and primary assigned role; the total flying hours recorded by the Air Corps in each of the years 2019 to 2025 inclusive; whether any aircraft type currently operated by the Air Corps has been identified for replacement and if so the timeline and estimated …

35. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the total value of defence equipment procurement contracts awarded since February 2022 broken down by country of origin of the supplier; whether any preference was given to Irish suppliers or EU suppliers in the procurement process; the value of defence contracts awarded to Irish-based companies in each year since 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matt…

36. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the current status of the primary radar programme and subsea domain awareness programme referenced in the National Maritime Security Strategy 2026-2030; the total projected cost of each programme; the timeline for delivery of initial operational capability in each case; whether these programmes were subject to competitive tender; and if she will make a statement o…

37. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence to provide a full breakdown of the Defence Vote for the most recent available financial year, specifying the total amount spent by the Department of Defence as a civilian administrative body including staff costs, consultancy, accommodation, travel, information technology systems, and all other administrative expenditure; the total amount spent directly on the Def…

38. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the total number of civil servants currently employed in her Defence; the total payroll cost of these civil servants in the most recent financial year; how this compares to the total payroll cost of uniformed Defence Forces personnel at equivalent grades; the current ratio of civil servants to uniformed personnel; how this ratio has changed in each year since 2015…

39. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the total amount spent on external consultancy, advisory services, and contracted professional services by the Department of Defence in each of the years 2020 to 2025 inclusive; the names of the firms engaged; the purpose of each engagement; whether each engagement was subject to competitive tender; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17583/26]

40. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence to provide a breakdown of defence spending under the following headings for each of the years 2021 to 2025 inclusive: pay and allowances for uniformed personnel; pay and allowances for civilian Department staff; capital equipment procurement; maintenance and repair of existing equipment; fuel and operational costs; training costs; accommodation and barracks mainte…

41. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence what proportion of the overall defence Vote has been spent on barrack accommodation, maintenance, and infrastructure in each of the years 2021 to 2025 inclusive; the current estimated backlog of maintenance works required across Defence Forces installations; the estimated cost of bringing all Defence Forces accommodation up to an acceptable standard; and if she wi…

42. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the total amount spent on the development, production, and publication of strategy documents, policy papers, public consultation processes, and related communications by her Department in each of the years 2022 to 2025 inclusive; whether this expenditure was subject to value for money assessment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17586/26]

43. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport if he will urgently review the criteria and cost of a five year driving licence where a person is aged between 65 and 71 years-of-age given this five year renewal costs the same as a full ten year renewal. [17283/26]

44. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Transport if he is aware of the continued issues with bus services in Dublin south-west, particularly the S8 and 15b (details supplied) and if he will instruct his Department to address this issue. [17258/26]

45. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Transport the total amount spent by local authorities in 2025 on the Bus Stop Enhancement Programme, broken down by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17280/26]

46. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Transport the current cycling and pedestrian infrastructures in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17346/26]

47. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide additional finance to Meath County Council to re-surface the roads in exceptionally poor condition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17359/26]

48. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Transport to provide a breakdown of his Department funding allocated to, but not spent by Meath County Council, on road projects, for the years 2020 to 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17360/26]

49. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Transport if he has any plans to increase public transport availability and frequency between Athboy, County Meath and Delvin, County Westmeath, to compensate for the current lack of reliable services linking these two towns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17361/26]

50. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Transport the current status of the Navan rail project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17362/26]