Questions

369. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence what increase in operational spending will take place in the context of the €1.7 billion increase in capital spending to ensure that the terms and conditions of military personnel and the crisis and recruitment and retention are addressed in line with capital investment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43623/25]

370. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if any European counterparts have pressured his Department to increase defence spending to align more closely with NATO targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43624/25]

371. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the up-to-date figures relating to Defence Forces personnel who have left the Defence Forces, broken down by service, rank, reserve or non-reserve status, by month, from the period 2021 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43625/25]

372. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the number of full time equivalents directly employed by his Department, broken down by grade, in tabular form. [43656/25]

373. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence whether his Department has a policy or goal of better insourcing of IT requirements and needs of the Department for better cybersecurity, autonomy, and crisis management; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43674/25]

374. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence whether he or his officials have met with lobbyists from the arms industry in the past 12 months; the date and agenda of those meetings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43715/25]

381. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if his Department has investigated the credible allegations made by a person (details supplied); if this has prompted a review of any such purchase by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43996/25]

382. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the progress and-or recommendations that have been made by the Institute for Security Governance in their oversight of the Defence Forces redesign; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43998/25]

194. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the number of Naval Service which are operational, and currently able to patrol Irish waters. [40639/25]

195. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the steps his Department is taking to ensure Ireland has adequate personnel to staff Naval Service ships and adequately patrol Irish waters. [40640/25]

172. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to provide an update on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in his Department; the AI technologies the Department uses, the purpose and function of said technology in the context of the work of the Department, and the associated costs of the licensing or use of AI by the Department in the past 12 months, in tabular form. [38614/25]

6. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if his attention has been drawn to potential overreach and undermining of the sovereignty of EU Member States by the European Commission under Article 41.2 of the Treaty on European Union which requires expenditure from the Union budget for the purposes of operations with a military or defence implication are prohibited without unanimity at the Counc…

232. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 335 of 29 April 2025, the outcome of the consultant’s report cited; whether he will make this report public; the steps his Department is taking to retrofit or otherwise bring vacant married quarters previously used by the Defence Forces owned by his Department back into use as accommodation; and if he will make…

2. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the human rights monitoring mechanism, if any, planned for missions without a UN mandate in light of the proposed removal of the triple lock, given the potential lack human rights monitoring at UN level in missions without a UN mandate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31235/25]

15. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if his Department has conducted any scoping exercises on how any potential increase in overseas deployments will impact the State’s ability to monitor and patrol Irish seas and airspace, in light of the ongoing difficulties with recruitment and retention in the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31236/25]

69. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the reason, under the Government’s proposed changes to the triple lock, adherence to the principles of the UN Charter and international law underpin deployment of troops instead of adherence to the UN Charter and international law; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31238/25]

77. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence how his Department plans on addressing the ongoing problems of understaffing in critical Defence Forces infrastructure, such as air traffic controllers; if his actions will be in line with the Defence Forces Group 2021 recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31237/25]

216. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if there are deployments being planned in anticipation of the removal of the triple lock, for example, with EU Battlegroups or other international forces without UN mandate; the scope of those deployments; who they are in conjunction with; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31775/25]

217. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence his Department's understanding of the scope and limitations of "strengthening international security" as justification for deployment of members of the Defence Forces overseas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31774/25]

40. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence for a list of all missions since 2006 that Ireland participated in which were not established by the UN but received a UN Mandate, by year, number of troops deployed, and purpose of mission, in tabular form. [31105/25]

41. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence for a list of all missions, including those which were authorised under section 3 of the Defence Amendment Act 2006, since 2006 that Ireland participated in which did not have a UN mandate, by year, number of troops deployed, and purpose of the mission, in tabular form. [31106/25]

42. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the up-to-date figures relating to Defence Forces recruitment of personnel broken down by service, rank and reserve or non-reserve status, by month from the period 2021 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31107/25]

43. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the up-to-date figures relating to Defence Forces personnel who have left the Defence Forces broken down by service, rank and reserve or non-reserve status, by month from the period 2021 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31108/25]

285. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if his Department has consulted Defence Forces personnel regarding the proposed removal of the triple lock neutrality mechanism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30728/25]

256. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the policy of the Defence Forces regarding the recruitment of people with autism and ADHD to the permanent and reserve Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25173/25]