Parliamentary questions

217. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Defence the total number of sick days taken by staff in her Department for each of the years 2022 to 2025; the average days lost per employee for each year, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8166/26]

218. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Defence the number of vacancies by rank currently in the Defence Forces Equitation School; the timeframe for filling each of those vacancies, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8187/26]

219. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Defence the legal basis and operational rationale for the continued closure of the public walkway linking Renmore Road and a club (details supplied) at Renmore Barracks, Galway; whether alternative safety or perimeter security measures were considered in lieu of the large boundary fence; if a timeline exists for the reopening of the walkway; and if …

220. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Defence the point at which, and level at which her Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General is at in respect of the civil service pay scales; the duration for same; and the plans to revise current remuneration arrangements [8463/26]

184. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Defence to confirm if any of the identified 500 military hotspots under the EU’s proposal on the Connecting Europe Facility are in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7260/26]

185. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Defence if she will address concerns regarding Defence Forces activity on the Curragh, raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7232/26]

266. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Defence the amount her Department has spent on legal fees for each of the years 2020-2025, in tabular form. [5533/26]

267. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Defence the number of females that applied to join each branch of Defence Forces in each cadetship and or general services recruitment campaign in 2025, in tabular form. [5549/26]

268. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Defence to provide a breakdown of expenditure by her Department and bodies, agencies or organisations under her remit on paid verification services on a platform (details supplied) or any other verified account products, for each of the years 2023, 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; the number of verified accounts held under each category; the annual cos…

269. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Defence the position regarding Ireland’s national sail training program; whether there are plans to acquire a new national sail training vessel as a successor to Asgard II; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5726/26]

270. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Defence for an update on any and all engagements or funding supplied, to an organisation (details supplied) over the past five years, in relation to potential scoping, purchase and retrofit of Lady Ellen / Grace O'Malley ship which had been proposed to be the new Irish national sail training vessel; and if she will make a statement on the matter.…

271. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Defence if all Air Corps helicopters are fully capable of night time reconnaissance during heavy intensive poor weather conditions, such as snow and so on. [5834/26]

37. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Defence if her or any of her officials have used artificial intelligence to write speeches, produce social media content for her Department, or to issue responses to parliamentary questions, since she took office; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4590/26]

38. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Defence if her Department has a paid subscription with a social media company (details supplied). [4608/26]

39. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Defence the measures being taken to protect State undersea cables; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4723/26]

40. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Defence how her ensures that all websites operated by her Department are accessible to the visually impaired. [4813/26]

41. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Defence if any website or other platform operated by her Department uses an AI-enabled chatbot; if there are plans to use chatbots; in what circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4831/26]

42. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Defence the total sums spent for each year from 2016 to 2025, inclusive of advertising, by her Department on social media or online platforms, including identifying separately payments to influencers on such platforms; and to set out the annual totals for that period to each specific platform, including but not limited to major platforms (details sup…

263. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Defence the position regarding Ireland’s preparedness for a significant drone attack on our airports or any other significant capital infrastructure; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3461/26]

264. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Defence the position regarding Ireland’s preparedness for a significant cyber-attack on her Department's offices and institutions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3462/26]

265. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Defence her views on the adequacy of the existing level of equipment available to the Defence Forces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3463/26]

266. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Defence the position regarding any proposals to increase capital expenditure on military equipment for the Defence Forces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3464/26]

267. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Defence the position regarding any assessment of the readiness and preparedness of the Defence Forces in the context of an increasingly volatile international climate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3465/26]

268. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Defence the position regarding any engagement she has had with her EU counterparts in relation to the increasingly volatile international climate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3466/26]

269. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Defence the position regarding the level of expenditure on defence compared to our EU counterparts, by percentage of overall Exchequer expenditure, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3467/26]