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investment in the men and women in our Defence Forces is an investment in our security and the security of our State. We all fully agree and we are all aligned in that. We all fully agree we need to expand and grow our Defence Forces and expand … they can be. We have made significant progress in the past number of years. Conditions not just for our cadets, but across the Defence Forces, have improved. Through public sector pay agreements, overall pay has increased. There has also been investment in specialities and particular roles as well

have seen some media speculation in relation to this. I have been honest with the House. A major opportunity and challenge for the Defence Forces is going to be to secure a multi-role vessel programme and the upgrading of that. That is where the focus … operational capability of the Army, the Air Corps and the Naval Service is maintained and developed further in order to enable the Defence Forces to carry out the roles assigned by the Government. The capital funding of €1.7 billion allocated to defence in the latest national development plan

Neutrality does not mean being defenceless, a fact that this and previous Governments have deliberately blurred. The triple block is about circumstances where Defence Forces personnel can be deployed overseas: UN mandate, Government decision and Dáil approval for significant deployments. It does not stop Ireland defending our airspace … does it stop investment in radar, cybersecurity or maritime surveillance. It certainly did not cause the decades of underinvestment in our Defence Forces. The responsibility for that lies squarely with successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments. If the Government is genuinely concerned about Ireland's security, then

will ensure that it does now because there can be zero tolerance for this. “Zero tolerance” cannot just be a phrase. The Defence Forces cannot recuse themselves from zero tolerance. It has to apply to every part of Irish society, including the Defence Forces. I am open … crime Act, again, I want to engage with my officials on it, but it seems logical to seek to extend it to the Defence Forces More broadly, the Deputy rightly mentioned the Women of Honour, which is important. They have done the State a huge service. We have

thank the Deputy. I agree with some of what he said. It certainly would be factual to say that the Reserve Defence Force went through a rocky period in terms of recruitment and retention. This was through no fault of its own. We have been working in line … with the commission on the Defence Forces to get that to a much better place. I acknowledge the Deputy's welcoming some of the progress that has been made. It is factually true that I believe we are now in a place where the Reserve Defence Force

fully agree. The world is changing. We need to expand our Defence Forces. We need to enhance our capabilities. However, we need to make sure we have the men and women in our Defence Forces to be able to operate and be able to grow … well. As the Deputy will be aware, there has been significant progress made more broadly in terms of pay and conditions for the Defence Forces personnel, particularly over the past six years. There has been a renewed focus, and rightly so, in making sure we increase

Again, I keep hearing in the Chamber this evening that we are not investing in the Defence Forces and therefore this is somehow related to the triple lock. The triple lock is about how we send our Defence Force personnel. At the moment we have 436 troops … have to look, review and revise our legislation and ask if it is fit for purpose. That is no different for the Defence Forces. Is this fit for purpose? No. What was the whole purpose of it? That we would be able to send our troops to missions

members of the committee, and I will do that. I want to be absolutely clear. Protecting Ireland's neutrality and strengthening our Defence Forces are not mutually exclusive. The Government would have people believe that the triple lock is somehow preventing Ireland from playing its part internationally … improve military readiness, modernise equipment, invest in our barracks and, crucially, address the recruitment and retention crisis that continues to undermine our Defence Forces. Not one of those priorities requires the abolition of the triple lock. The real obstacle to strengthening our Defence Forces are decades of underinvestment

changes to the triple-lock mechanism, which currently requires UN Security Council approval alongside Government and Dáil approval for deployment of Irish Defence Forces overseas and whether any of these proposed changes, are solely intended to ensure that future peacekeeping missions are not hindered by a geopolitical deadlock … global threats, from cyberwarfare to the hybrid attacks on infrastructure. We cannot talk about defence policy without talking about how we treat our Defence Forces personnel. I thank those who have served and who continue to serve Ireland with pride. This brings me to the urgent case

radar programme but other ways in which we are working more closely together. The French have been supporting and working closely with our Defence Forces personnel around the training on how to use this. This is just to assist. I stress that again because there is often … perception that it is the Defence Forces which are going to be carrying out all of these security measures. What they are putting in place will be to supplement and assist the work of An Garda Síochána. An Garda Síochána already has significant levels of counter-drone technology

mandate in Lebanon where we have had members on the ground for decades. In the last two weeks, I met members of the Defence Forces in Rome. On the very day I met them, they had to finish up with Operation Irini, which had a mandate to operate … from getting to Libya. These members contributed significantly to that overall mission and are held in very high regard among members of the defence forces of other countries. They themselves told me personally that Ireland is the main one to lose out because of this mandate not being

consolidates, with amendments, the existing provisions of the Defence Acts 1954 to 2015 concerning the dispatch of members of the Defence Forces for service outside the State. The general scheme also proposes amendments to existing legislation to provide for the suspension of members of the Defence Forces … event that the UNIFIL mandate were not extended, Ireland would have been in the position of having to plan to withdraw its Defence Forces personnel from UNIFIL immediately following the expiration of the mandate. I believe it is untenable, therefore, for the Government to continue with this policy

that contingency arrangements are in place. The Deputy is right about how we need to look more at the pinch points in our Defence Forces in general, and I will come back to this in a moment. I expect significant restoration of services at Baldonnel to happen very … rapidly. I expect that to be the case because in my conversations with military leadership and the new Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, I was made aware that a number of air traffic controllers may leave the Air Corps to work in other environments, as they

would not be possible to include in the legislation at the time. While it may not be the same, since then the Defence Forces, though they are excluded from this, have been very clear that where appropriate they adhere to the principles of the Act within the military … justice system and this is reflected in the Defence Forces victim's handbook. In saying that, because of a number of different meetings and engagement I have had, I have asked my officials to look at this again, so there are deliberations taking place. As part of this

years. This has allowed us to procure much-needed capabilities to provide for Ireland and the Irish people. The 2022 Commission on the Defence Forces report recommended significant changes for the Defence Forces and defence provision in Ireland. Following the commission, the defence budget is increasing from … obligation to participate in any project. Ireland will only consider joining those in areas where capabilities and needs have been identified by our Defence Forces, for instance, in cybersecurity and protection of subsea cables and other critical infrastructure. Other member states may have wider interests

cannot understand, again from Sinn Féin, is that we allow the United Kingdom to make decisions about where we deploy our troops, our Defence Forces, on a peacekeeping mission. There is a conflation of this argument with the loss of neutrality. The suggestion that the reform … credible. Abolishing the triple lock does not mean that we abandon multilateralism. We should also think about our own armed forces, our Defence Forces, in terms of their contribution as peacekeepers. It is a very proud tradition but, most importantly, it allows our Defence Forces to develop experience

significantly increasing funding for defence and supporting the Air Corps, the Naval Service and Defence Forces more broadly. Indeed, funding for defence has increased by 30% since 2020 to a record level. It will increase again in the review of the national development plan shortly. We are back … major investment. Deputy Doherty is right, however. It is no surprise to anyone that there are pinch points in parts of our Defence Forces, particularly in the context of particular skills and challenges in the retention of air traffic controllers. We are working with the Defence Forces

Ireland has lost 88 personnel from the Irish Defence Forces while serving on UN peacekeeping missions since 1958. Among other places, they went to Congo, Cyprus, and, most famously, Lebanon. They all went wearing the blue beret to protect civilians and to preserve peace. They went assured they … thinks this country faces. She should state it clearly and address it here. It would serve her better to invest in our Defence Forces and our Defence Forces personnel to ensure they have the numbers, training and equipment to defend this country and to play their part

Clendennen for his questions. I previously clarified my intentions with regard to the proposed amendments to legislation governing the overseas deployment of the Defence Forces in the proposed defence (amendment) Bill. This was agreed by Cabinet on 4 March this year. As I mentioned, the pre-legislative scrutiny … Ireland. I recognise, however, that in removing the UN Security Council mandate requirement, alternative safeguards are needed to underpin the future despatch of Defence Forces personnel. I am genuinely up for having a detailed discussion on this when we produce the full Bill and, therefore, in parallel

days; the extension of the Naval Service tax credit for a further five years; the application of the working time directive across the Defence Forces in January of this year, subject to certain exemptions; and the extension of the provision of private secondary healthcare to all members … Permanent Defence Forces. There has also been significant progress on pay with the most recent increase paid in August of this year. Recruitment is presently ongoing through a wide range of pathways, including general service recruitment, re-entry schemes and eight Naval Service-specific direct entry competitions. Applications

past time that the Government got serious in the area of security and defence. We have a recruitment and retention crisis in our Defence Forces. Key personnel are leaving the Defence Forces and we need to put a halt to this. We need to ensure our Defence Forces

opening the coffers. The Taoiseach said this very much aligns with the ambitious investment programme that is in place for our own Defence Forces to implement the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces and it aligns with the programme for Government. He says that we will … funding mechanisms. It does not compute that if we benefit by drawing down money to invest in and improve our own security and Defence Forces that there will not be conditionality towards a common defence union and an impact on our neutrality. We must have a more rigorous

make much sense to me. The Department and Minister for justice lead on cybersecurity and national security; that is clear. Obviously, the Defence Forces and the Garda have specific roles and they feed into the National Cyber Security Centre. Regarding command control and who the structures within … Defence Forces are to answer to, it is the normal military chain of command. At political level, we have also recently established a national security ministerial council, which I am a member of and the Taoiseach obviously chairs, as well as the Minister for justice. That enables

increased defence spending available, the Government wants to get rid of it. To suggest that none of us has spoken about the Defence Forces in our contributions is incorrect. As my party's defence spokesperson, I consistently speak about the underinvestment of the Government in Óglaigh na hÉireann … capacity to even have ships in the sea at the moment. The Minister of State should not talk nonsense about us ignoring our Defence Forces. We support level of ambition 2 funding in order that our Defence Forces can actually operate

removes a core plank that has shaped Irish defence policy for decades. It changes the legal basis on which members of our Defence Forces can be deployed overseas on peace enforcement missions, yet the Government seems determined to use its majority to curtail debate and avoid the detailed … come at the expense of legitimacy, nor should this debate be presented as a choice between supporting the triple lock and supporting our Defence Forces. Improving the capacity of our Defence Forces does not require us to abandon an important safeguard governing overseas deployment. These are separate questions

Defence to report on the work undertaken by his Department in reviewing the framework governing the relationship between the Minister for Defence, the Defence Forces and the Department of Defence. [31704/25

Deputy Colm Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the role the Defence Forces will play in supporting EU defence cooperation initiatives during Ireland’s presidency of the council of the European Union in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60426/25

asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the initiatives the Government is pursuing to address the challenges of recruitment and retention within the Defence Forces; and if, from his time at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, he has considered how education … defence can be linked to make the armed forces even more attractive to young people. [18002/25

Ireland's role in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, UNDOF, and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, means that the Defence Forces have once again capacity to consider other UN missions that are in line with our neutrality. [53650/26

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Defence the resources currently available to the Defence Forces for the protection of strategic maritime infrastructure, defence ports and the monitoring of activity within Ireland’s territorial waters; whether any additional maritime surveillance, naval or defence capabilities are planned or under

Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will provide an update on improvements to pay and conditions for members of the Permanent Defence Force arising from the €485 million allocation for defence pay in budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60415/25

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Defence if she is satisfied that the Defence Forces have been properly resourced to adequately defend key defence ports and monitor vessels passing through Irish territorial waters; if she will outline the operational capabilities currently in place to support this function

Deputy Colm Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the measures being taken to improve recruitment and retention within the Defence Forces in light of the €145 million increase in defence funding in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60423/25

Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Defence if discrimination against primary carers within the Defence Forces has ceased as per the recommendations within the Commission on Defence report of 13 July 2022. [2276/26

Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Defence the way in which her Department is preparing the Defence Forces for the increasing role of drones, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in modern defence and security; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54053/26

asked the Minister for Defence her views on 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, which will result in major defence projects such as the anti-drone CUAS system being

asked the Minister for Defence her views on the revised defence plan deadlines in the detailed implementation plan for the transformation of the Defence Forces that have been pushed out again by Government, which will result in major defence projects such as the anti-drone CUAS system being

Deputy Joe Neville asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence considering that the Government have significantly increased the Defence Forces budget, the procedures he intends to put in place to ensure Ireland's defence procurement spend stays within the Irish economy, benefitting our indigenous SMEs and research sectors

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

Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the estimated cost of increasing capital spending in line with 2022-2027 Defence Forces Capital Infrastructure Development Plan to enhance capabilities in cyber-security and cyber-defence unit, including radar and robotics, and to support research

avionics, communications systems, sensor systems, mission systems, cybersecurity systems, electronic warfare components, or other defence-related technologies currently in operational use within the Defence Forces were manufactured, developed, licensed, or supplied by companies headquartered in Israel or by subsidiaries of Israeli defence or technology firms

Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the consultation he has had with rank and file members of the Defence Forces in relation to the potential changes to their terms and conditions in the general dcheme of the defence (amendment) Bill 2025, which has recently

move speedily to bring forward the 2028 deadline for the completion of Level of Ambition 2, as outlined in the Commission of the Defence Forces, given the European Council’s declaration of 3 February 2025 and his subsequent public comments on security and defence. [7253/25

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether any third-party systems integrators, subcontractors, or original equipment manufacturers involved in Defence Forces procurement programmes utilise Israeli-developed software, firmware, avionics architecture, cybersecurity tools, sensor technology, or communications systems as part of integrated defence platforms supplied

Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Defence whether she will provide an update on the review of Defence Forces accommodation and infrastructure, including training facilities and barracks conditions; and if she will confirm when concrete capital works will commence to address long-standing deficiencies across

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether her Department or the Defence Forces maintain any central register, inventory, procurement database or asset-management framework recording the country of origin of mission-critical software, avionics, communications systems, sensors, cybersecurity systems or other defence-related technologies

recent EU Defence and Foreign Affairs Ministers' meetings; the reasons a civilian community was selected over secluded venues; the total number of Defence Forces and Garda personnel deployed; the level of maritime and aviation restrictions; if local community and business disruptions were assessed; and if standard guidelines exist

introduction of a cross-public service framework to recognise previous service, experience, training and qualifications for personnel moving between An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces, Fire Services and other emergency response organisations; and if he will provide a timeline for any such proposals. [73517/26

Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Defence if the Defence Forces or her Department have the ability, either directly or through another State body, to verify and reconstruct an applicant's administrative history from arrival in the State through to enlistment; and if she will outline

Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Defence if Defence Forces recruitment forms, interviews, vetting procedures or background investigations seek information regarding an applicant's immigration history, arrival circumstances, previous immigration permissions, international protection history, or previous identity documentation. [73555/26