Parliamentary questions

235. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Defence the engagement his Department has had with the European Commission regarding the so-called 'crisis mechanism' within the European Defence Industrial Programme which would allow basic protections within the Working Time Directive to be suspended for arms companies, allowing them to override core workers' rights provisions of EU law; and if he …

236. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Defence the total legal costs in defending judicial reviews of planning decisions involving his Department and/or agencies within the aegis of his Department for each of the years 2020 to 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63617/25]

237. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 265 of 12 November 2025, the meaning of emergency resilience in this context. [63716/25]

238. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Defence the additional costs incurred by the Irish Defence Forces for security provided at Shannon Airport due to US military use of that airport from 2010 to 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64014/25]

174. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will submit a business case to the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to allow former members of the Defence Forces (with less than 21 years’ service prior to the enactment of the single pension scheme, and with greater than 26 weeks break in service) who subsequen…

175. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the measures in place to support the physical and mental health outcomes of veterans of the Defence Forces. [62446/25]

176. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will address the genuine concerns regarding RDF treatment issues raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62534/25]

177. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the specific instances where the Triple Lock mechanism has prevented the deployment of Irish Defence Forces personnel in situations where the Government, the Defence Forces, and the Oireachtas were otherwise willing to proceed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62656/25]

178. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to provide details of any occasions since the introduction of the Triple Lock where a proposed deployment reached Cabinet approval stage but could not be advanced due to the absence of a UN Security Council mandate; and to confirm whether any such deployment was subsequently deemed critical to Ireland’s foreign policy objective…

179. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to outline the commitments made by the Government during the referenda on the Nice and Lisbon Treaties regarding the preservation of Ireland’s policy of military neutrality, including the role of the Triple Lock, and to explain how the proposed removal of the Triple Lock aligns with those commitments. [62658/25]

180. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if the Government has obtained a clear democratic mandate from the Irish electorate to remove the Triple Lock, given that the mechanism was introduced as a political guarantee underpinning previous EU Treaty referenda; and if not, to set out the rationale for proceeding without a referendum. [62659/25]

181. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to detail any proposed alternative oversight or democratic accountability mechanism that would replace the UN authorisation element of the Triple Lock; the way the Government intends to ensure that future overseas deployments remain transparent, justified, and consistent with Ireland’s longstanding policy of military neutrality…

182. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if the proposed removal of the Triple Lock is connected to commitments made to EU or NATO partners, including within the framework of PESCO or the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy. [62661/25]

183. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to assess the likely impact of removing the Triple Lock on Ireland’s international reputation as a neutral, independent, and peace-focused State; and to provide any Departmental analysis or external advice received in this regard. [62662/25]

184. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the number of vacant and derelict buildings in County Mayo owned by his Department that are vacant or rented, by the region/towns location of the buildings, in tabular form. [62668/25]

185. Deputy Gillian Toole asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the status of the examination of a protected disclosure (details supplied) circulated to senior Cabinet members in July 2025 and asked as a Leader’s Questions on 22 October 2025; and if correspondences will be issued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62714/25]

261. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the number and value of contracts that underwent post-award variations; the net value change as a percentage of original awards, by CPV/category; and the three most common drivers of variation identified, for 2022–2024. [60938/25]

262. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if any personnel from the Naval Service went to the UK for a specialist training course which is not available within the State in 2024 and to date in 2025; if so, the name and duration of this course, in tabular form. [60976/25]

263. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if any personnel from Air Corps went to the UK for a specialist training course which is not available within the State in 2024 and to date in 2025; if so, the name and duration of this course, in tabular form. [60977/25]

264. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the budget allocation for Defence Forces Equitation School in the years of 2024, 2025 and 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61135/25]

265. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence for a breakdown of all spending on external communications and media, by company, including the amount spent and purpose of spend, in each of the past five years, in tabular form. [61209/25]

266. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the process that local community voluntary groups must meet in order to have Defence Forces School of Music play at a community event; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61442/25]

267. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the additional costs incurred by the Irish Defence Forces for security provided at Shannon Airport due to US military use of Shannon Airport from 2018 to date in 2025. [61625/25]

268. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the level of foresight or future planning that operates within his Department; who is responsible for long-term planning; the input these individuals or teams have into Departmental policy and practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61658/25]

269. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will direct Defence Forces based in the lower harbour of Cork to write against the proposal for an incinerator in Ringaskiddy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62004/25]