Parliamentary questions

298. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Defence the measures in place to enhance cybersecurity and protect critical national infrastructure from emerging threats, including any role envisaged for the Defence Forces in this area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29261/26]

299. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether her Department maintains aggregated, non-operationally sensitive performance metrics relating to aircraft availability rates within the Air Corps fleet; and if so, the average annual availability rate across the fleet for each of the past five years. [29311/26]

300. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the specific performance indicators, reports, or datasets reviewed by the High Level Planning and Procurement Group (HLPPG) in monitoring Air Corps capability; and whether any formal minutes, summaries, or performance dashboards are produced as part of this process. [29312/26]

301. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the policy framework governing maintenance planning and performance monitoring within the Air Corps; including whether target turnaround times, serviceability thresholds, or maintenance performance benchmarks are set at Departmental level. [29313/26]

302. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether any high-level, non-operational summaries of capability gap assessments relating to Air Corps platforms have been produced since 2020; and if so, whether such summaries can be provided in aggregate form [29314/26]

303. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the approved establishment level for Air Corps pilots, aircrew, and technical personnel; the current staffing levels; and the variance between approved and actual strength. [29315/26]

304. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the annual attrition rate for Air Corps pilots and technical personnel for each of the past five years; and the policy measures introduced specifically to address retention in these cohorts. [29316/26]

305. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the annual intake and completion numbers for Air Corps pilot and technical training programmes for each of the past five years; and whether current training capacity aligns with projected staffing requirements under the Equipment Development Plan. [29317/26]

306. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether the Department maintains an internal assessment of required versus actual Air Corps operational output across key mission categories; and if so, whether any gap between required and delivered output has been identified. [29318/26]

307. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether any post-procurement value-for-money or performance evaluation has been conducted on Air Corps aircraft acquisitions since 2019; and if so, to provide details of the evaluation criteria and findings [29319/26]

308. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether her Department has assessed the extent to which the €435 million investment in Air Corps platforms since 2019 has translated into increased operational capability; and the metrics used to determine such outcomes. [29320/26]

309. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Defence if she will provide a schedule of the number and summary of the Aid to the Civil Power requests her Department has received in the past ten years to date in 2026 to include requesters. [29405/26]

29. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Defence to provide details of the number of legal actions against her Department that have been resolved without going to court in line with the 2023 State Litigation Principles; if her Department is fully applying the State Litigation Principles in seeking to resolve any current or outstanding legal actions; and if she will make a statement on the mat…

30. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Defence the position regarding the flexible working and remote working policies in place for civil servants in her Department; if there is any discrepancy in these policies based on seniority; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28915/26]

31. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Defence the position regarding the flexible working and remote working policies in place for staff that work for any agencies under the remit of her Department; if there is any discrepancy in these policies based on seniority; if this policy is under the control of the agency itself or if it is directed by the Department; and if she will make a statemen…

32. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Defence if any review is ongoing in relation to her Department’s policy on flexible working and remote working for civil servants in her Department, particularly in the context of increased fuel prices; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28952/26]

33. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Defence for an update on the status of Operation Althea; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29086/26]

353. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Defence the number of heavy vehicle recovery trucks purchased for the Defence Forces in each of the years of 2024, 2025 and to-date in 2026; the number of those heavy vehicle recovery trucks withdrawn from the fleet in the same period, in tabular form. [28020/26]

354. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Defence whether Galway is under active consideration as a site for the proposed west coast Naval Service base referenced in the National Maritime Security Strategy 2026–2030; the criteria being applied in evaluating potential locations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28024/26]

355. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Defence the number of females at each rank of second lieutenant and above within Air Corps, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28059/26]

356. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Defence the number of females at each rank of sub lieutenant and above within Naval Service, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28060/26]

357. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 270 of 24 February 2026, the total expenditure incurred by the Defence Forces on all outsourced services listed in her reply in each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025; the projected expenditure for 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28407/26]

358. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 270 of 24 February 2026, to provide a detailed cost breakdown, by service that is, Army, Naval Service and Air Corps of all long-term and short-term outsourced functions identified in her reply for the years 2023 to 2025 inclusive; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28408/26]

359. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 270 of 24 February 2026, the annual cost of the optimised maintenance contract for ships' main engines and propulsion systems in the Naval Service for each of the past three years and the projected cost for 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28409/26]

360. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 270 of 24 February 2026, the total cost to date and the projected full-year cost of the contractual agreement with a company (details supplied) to provide flight information service officer services at the Air Corps aerodrome; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28410/26]