Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss the refurbishment of school buildings across County Kerry,
Deputy Séamus McGrath - To discuss the recruitment process for the Defence Forces.
Deputy Michael Murphy - To discuss the local democracy task force report.
Deputy Mark Ward - To discuss waiting times for occupational services in Dublin
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25+ in debates · 25+ in questions · page 24
In debates
Under the Bill, any provision of oral sworn evidence to the inquiry by former members of An Garda Síochána, former members of the Defence Forces, former Ministers and former officeholders of Departments of the State will be done on a voluntary basis. There are some concerns regarding
section 5(4)(i), requires the head of the State body, be that the Garda Commissioner, the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces or the Secretary General of a Department, to be of the opinion that acceding to a request would be likely to prejudice the fundamental
seeking to introduce a form of compulsion for former officeholders, be they past members of An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces or the Civil Service or former ministerial officeholders, to give evidence before the High Court. This would be subject to the person concerned having the right
This reputation cannot be gambled away. Any move away from neutrality will not be supported by the Irish people.
The neglect of the Defence Forces is a political choice, and running a bulldozer through it will not fix it. The scale of human suffering across the world
people in those services was increased from 60 to 62 years. I know from responses to parliamentary questions that 122 personnel in the Defence Forces and 112 gardaí have since remained in the force beyond the age of 60. Can we look at extending this further
protesters were being manipulated by some idiot in the UK called Tommy Robinson.
The C70 form sent by An Garda Síochána to the Defence Forces is an essential part of our security system. To politicise that, as the Minister for justice did on Thursday morning, is absolutely
given the team with members of the murderous Israeli army and I will not insult the victims of genocide by calling it a defence force. I will do my utmost to prevent that game from going ahead. I will leave the Minister of State with this
refused to listen. A succession of senior Ministers issued combative, patronising and dismissive statements. The Minister for justice spoke about sending out the Defence Forces before anyone had even spoken to the protesters. That is not leadership; it is a failure of leadership.
The vast majority of protesters
fuel protests in Mayo and did not see any Government TDs there. Instead, the Minister for justice threatened to send the Defence Forces against our own people. These were ordinary, decent, working people and their families - farmers, hauliers, bus drivers, contractors, people with disabilities, carers, and home help
genuine grievances at the heart of the protests. It had a justice Minister playing the big man and threatening to deploy the Defence Forces, which served only to inflame tensions even further. This is not how to listen to genuinely held pleas for help. This
This situation should have been de-escalated long before it reached this point. The Government did not have to put our gardaí and Defence Forces into very difficult situations. I have great sympathy for them. They are members of those communities they had to go into and they
extending the mechanism to State bodies other than An Garda Síochána, including both serving and former members of An Garda Síochána, and the Defence Forces, which is necessary and welcome. From a historical point of view, this is more wide-ranging than just those two State bodies. There
model used in the Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) Act 2019 but goes significantly further by extending participation to An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces and departmental officials; by allowing family members, survivors and their legal representatives to be present during evidence taken before the High Court judge
certainly a long and overdue step that will allow Irish State bodies, serving and former members of An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces, civil servants and even former Ministers to give oral evidence before a High Court judge to assist the Omagh bombing inquiry. However, I want
them. I am shocked by the stories they have told me and by the way they were treated.
Likewise in relation to the Defence Forces, I have listened very carefully to what women who were members of the force had to say. How far have we got with
support a situation where China, Great Britain, the United States or Russia can exercise a veto over where and when Ireland sends its Defence Forces. Even small numbers of Irish troops with respected expertise in peacekeeping require the permission of the 20th century imperial powers. It does
personnel who are going to underpin, manage and deliver all the systems that we need to protect our neutrality. The members of the Defence Forces who perform their duties on public holidays deserve these premiums and general overtime pay. This is a basic standard in the context workers
done and that will be hugely helpful is the Value Our People survey. This is the largest survey ever undertaken in respect of Defence Forces personnel. This survey asked questions about what it is they feel supported by, what the challenges are, what the issues are and what
Minister has had detailed discussions with the Chief of Staff on the need for a regeneration report on the Naval Service. The Defence Forces are working to have this report completed in the coming weeks.
In relation to recent events the Deputy mentioned, I can confirm that during
crew two ships, then we really only have one ship at a time at a time when we are being told that the Defence Forces are under-capacity in the context of dealing with evolving threats in Europe. The Government has been woefully negligent as regards our security
protection system. We have seen it already and we know it is there. This is why it is really important, whether in our Defence Forces or An Garda Síochána, that we have the enhanced capacity and personnel to be able to respond to them. We have mentioned maritime
superpower. We do not have the capacity to be one. We do need to make sure we have an up-to-date, upgraded Defence Forces that are fit for purpose, but we also need to protect independent foreign policy and that is the reason why we have been
reason or purpose other than peacekeeping. Of course, we will have to take on board recommendations and views from the Defence Forces, which will be part of this. There will then have to be a recommendation to Government which has to be agreed by Government. It will then
Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Defence the number of people currently enlisted in the Reserve Defence Force; the measures that will be taken to increase the number enlisted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12482/26
In parliamentary questions
Eoghan Kenny
Written
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
Seán Crowe
Oral
change in the total cost of approximately €300 million for the programme; if the current training courses for such operations in the Defence Forces are compatible with the new system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60897/25
Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the way in which the shortfall in critical staffing levels in the Defence Forces poses a national security risk; the efforts which are being made to resolve this; and if he will make a statement
Barry Heneghan
Oral
Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the level of preparedness within the Defence Forces to respond to cyber or physical interference via subsea communication cables; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60462/25
Keira Keogh
Oral
Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the preparedness of the Defence Forces in extreme weather events; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60427/25
Paul McAuliffe
Oral
Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if as part of the implementation of the working time directive in the Defence Forces, he will provide a timeline for the delivery of the welfare measures under strand 2; and if he will make a statement
Catherine Ardagh
Written
Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the number of new recruits who entered the Defence Forces to date in 2026; the number of persons who left over the same period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60429/25
Edward Timmins
Written
Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the steps being taken to encourage recruitment to the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60481/25
Paul McAuliffe
Written
Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence his plans to address the challenges of the single pension scheme for Defence Forces personnel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60385/25
Cormac Devlin
Written
Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence for an update on his Department and the Defence Forces Strategy Statement 2025–2028; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60433/25
Ruairí Ó Murchú
Written
Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the progress made in all the investigations into the death of a Defence Forces member who was killed on duty in the Lebanon (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60412/25
Grace Boland
Written
Deputy Grace Boland asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the steps being taken to improve gender balance in Defence Forces recruitment, given that only 5% of new recruits in 2024 were women; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60489/25
Peter 'Chap' Cleere
Written
Cleere asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the steps his Department is taking to improve pay and conditions of members of the Defence Forces. [60260/25
Sean Fleming
Written
Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the improvements the revised NDP will mean for the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60434/25
Frankie Feighan
Written
Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the number of Defence Forces’ personnel serving overseas at present; if the number is anticipated to change over the next 18 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60379/25
Albert Dolan
Written
increase officer cadet pay above the minimum wage, and to a level of at least that of all other inductees in the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60384/25
Brendan Smith
Written
Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the present enlistment in the Permanent Defence Force; the proposals to increase recruitment and improve retention levels in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60410/25
Matt Carthy
Written
Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the establishment figure of the Defence Forces; the number of personnel required to meet Level of Ambition 2; the current number of personnel; and his target for recruitment each year under this Government. [60465/25
Keira Keogh
Written
Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the gender balance of the latest recruits to the Defence Forces cadet programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60422/25
Conor D McGuinness
Written
Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the consideration given to introducing guard ceremonies at the Defence Forces monument at Merrion Square in Dublin and in other locations in the State on a regular basis. [59619/25
Duncan Smith
Written
Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if the Government will commit to increasing pay for defence force cadets, who are currently paid below minimum wage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60492/25
Seán Ó Fearghaíl
Written
Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the measures he is taking to improve retention levels in the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60417/25
Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Written
Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence his views on the issue of pension entitlements for personnel who joined the Defence Forces after 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60508/25
Sinéad Gibney
Written
Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if his Department will take action to ensure Defence Forces cadets are in receipt of minimum wage during their training, and paid wages that are commensurate with privates of the same level of experience; and if he will
James O'Connor
Written
Deputy James O'Connor asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the allocation he secured for Permanent Defence Force pay in budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60482/25
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