Parliamentary questions

162. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Defence if the proposed legislative changes with regard to international peacekeeping missions by the Defence Forces will stipulate that nothing in the legislation shall be construed as authorising the State to become a member of an international organisation of which it is not already a member; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [427…

163. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Defence her views on the 6,000 personnel who are waiting to be paid €3.7 million in claims under local bargaining agreements, which are agreements that are already made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43739/26]

164. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Defence if she is satisfied with current levels of recruitment and retention in the permanent Defence Forces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42805/26]

165. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Defence the total capital expenditure allocated for the fast-tracked procurement of Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) ahead of Ireland’s EU Council Presidency; the number of Defence Forces personnel who have completed operational training on these anti-drone systems to date; and if these systems will remain permanently deployed to protect crit…

166. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Defence the operational parameters, commands, and rules of engagement under which British or French naval vessels will be permitted to patrol Irish waters during Ireland's upcoming EU Council Presidency; the current personnel deficit within the Irish Naval Service that necessitated this reliance on foreign assets; and the specific timeline for the d…

167. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Defence the extent to which the National Security Strategy will support the development of a National Air Security Strategy. [43669/26]

168. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Defence the number of Defence Force personnel currently stationed at Kilworth Camp, Kilworth, County Cork, by rank; her plans to increase the operational capacity or scope of the camp; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43589/26]

169. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Defence the extent to which the Defence Forces will be involved in security over the EU Presidency; to confirm that all security arrangements are in place which are under the remit of her Department for the commencement of the EU Presidency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43700/26]

170. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Defence the operational impact on the Defence Forces arising from current personnel shortages, particularly in relation to overseas peacekeeping commitments and domestic support to civil authorities; and the measures being taken to ensure capability is not diminished in the short term. [42808/26]

171. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Defence in the event that the Government removes the triple lock, the new military deployments that are planned that the Government believe would not receive approval from the UN; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43668/26]

172. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Defence if the Government is prepared to utilise EU funding to increase defence spending; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43410/26]

173. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Defence the specific date the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2026 will be brought to Cabinet; the legal mechanism by which the Bill will decouple Irish troop deployments from UN Security Council mandates while protecting military neutrality; her views on the legal advice received regarding the sudden forced withdrawal of Irish naval assets from EU operati…

174. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Defence the preparations that have been undertaken by her Department and the Defence Forces in advance of Ireland assuming the Presidency of the Council of the European Union; the additional personnel, funding, training, equipment and logistical resources being provided to support the security, ceremonial and operational requirements associated wit…

175. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Defence her views on concerns from members of the Defence Forces, on the publishing of names of Defence Force officers involved in sensitive operations under EU regulations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43409/26]

176. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Defence her views on the matter of no adjudicator being in place for the DF conciliation and arbitration scheme since June 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43736/26]

177. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Defence the total number of members of the Defence Forces currently serving on UN or UN mandated missions overseas; the total figure if the UNIFIL mission is excluded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42792/26]

178. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Defence if she will report on her attendance at the PDFORRA conference in May; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42804/26]

179. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Defence to give an update on the armour modernisation programme; if vehicles have been identified for purchase; the most recent estimated cost of the modernisation effort; and the date by which the vehicles will be delivered to the Defence Forces. [43593/26]

180. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Defence to discuss the revised defence plan deadlines in the detailed implementation plan for the transformation of the Defence Forces, which have been pushed out again by Government, and which will result in major defence projects, such as the anti-drone CUAS system, being delayed again; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4374…

181. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Defence if she will outline Ireland’s continued participation in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43705/26]

182. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Taoiseach if the status and possible suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement was raised during his bilateral meeting with Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni on 22 May 2026. [41435/26]

183. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Taoiseach if he will provide a report on the progress made implementing the Programme for Government commitments within his remit and on the achievements since the formation of the Government [41394/26]

184. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Taoiseach the engagement his Department and the Central Statistics Office has had with the National Archives in advance of the public release of the 1926 Census records on 18 April 2026; and the level of public uptake recorded since the release. [41415/26]

185. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Taoiseach if he will outline the work undertaken by the Central Statistics Office to accompany the release of the 1926 Census records, including the comparative analysis published in Then and Now: Life in Ireland in 1926 and 2022; and the key findings of that analysis. [41416/26]

186. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Taoiseach the date on which the next Census of population is scheduled to take place; and the preparations underway by the Central Statistics Office for that census, including the introduction of an online completion option for the first time [41417/26]