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improvement with a specific emphasis on community support measures and strengthening the resilience of our critical infrastructure. Turning to the role of the Defence Forces, as the Deputy will be aware, they are not the first responders in either the preparedness or the recovery phases of events. Their … authorities in dealing with the various challenges that can be present. In the context of recent weather events, the supports provided by the Defence Forces included: the provision of helicopter flights carrying ESB personnel in order to identify the extent of damage to the affected network; the collection

alluded to, I brought forward the general scheme of the defence (amendment) Bill 2025, which amends the legislation underpinning overseas deployments of the Defence Forces. This was agreed by Cabinet on 4 March. The Bill will, among other things, provide for the modification of the existing requirement regarding … dispatch of the Defence Forces for service outside the State as part of an international force. Under the current proposals in the general scheme to amend the existing legislation, the requirement for a UN mandate will be removed. I wish to again underline that the legislation in place

told this woman that he was untouchable. I am talking about sexual assault and very serious abuse. She reported him to the Defence Forces for sending pictures of guns to her in November 2022. She made statements to the military police. She still has not had an outcome … that case. She was told last July, when she pressed again, by the victim liaison officer of the Defence Forces that the investigation was complete and she would be sent the results. In response to a parliamentary question I put to the Tánaiste in April, I was told

highlighting this matter. There are a couple of things in this regard. The Deputy is right that the Commission on the Defence Forces recommended exactly what he said it did. I will bring forward, either over the summer or early in the autumn, the next iteration … implementation plan for the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces where we will take forward more recommendations. We are also looking at a new national security plan for Ireland more broadly, which will be co-ordinated by the Department of the Taoiseach. Its purpose will

April, the Defence Forces will have submitted to me, and I will publish, a workforce plan that shows how we get to where we need to be in terms of personnel by 2028. That will require a number of pinch points to be addressed. We are now seeing … real interest in joining the Defence Forces. We can all take a sense of encouragement from the fact that people want to wear the uniform of Óglaigh na hÉireann and the numbers this year will be up on last year because more people are seeking to join

taxi driver who gets up in the middle of the night to do morning runs to the airport. The newest member of our Defence Forces, who are ready at a moment's notice to come to the aid of this country when it is in such distress, feels … country. The reality is that this budget tinkers around the edges. It tries to do a lot and does absolutely nothing. For the Defence Forces, funding has been given for 400 new permanent roles to bring their strength up to 8,300, yet we are not even meeting

Fundamentally, in any organisation, it is about the culture. In all of the work that has been done within the Defence Forces, the one word that kept emerging in terms of all the analysis, inquiries and so on was "culture". There are numerous policies in respect of these … issues but the biggest difficulty and challenge is around culture. Changes are occurring in the Defence Forces, which should be acknowledged given what has happened, and also within An Garda Síochána. Interestingly, there was a lot of resistance from those organisations to utilisation of the word "culture

something we are committed to. We have responded to many of the issues raised since that complaint was made. Members of the Defence Forces are compensated for additional or irregular hours through allowances and structured systems of compensatory rest. In addition, a pensionable military service allowance, which … compensate for the special disadvantages associated with military life, such as the long and unsociable hours that many of the members of our Defence Forces work, is paid to all ranks up to the level of colonel. Military service allowance is also a pensionable allowance, so instead

State by the people who stood up to protect the State. I want to highlight the horrific experience of the members of the Defence Forces, the Justice Alliance and the Women of Honour. This case is a systematic failure embedded over many years by silence made possible … State that looked after itself before justice. The Defence Forces Justice Alliance submitted more than 50 protected disclosures. These disclosures included reports of bullying, harassment, abuse, sexual assault and institutional wrongdoing. Many of these disclosures related to the Minister and senior officials within the Department. The protected disclosures

Minister is about fixing it. These changes will renew our peacekeeping. Tonight I think of my cousin who serves in the Defence Forces. Marie Carrigy served in the Golan Heights, Congo and Lebanon and is currently abroad serving on a UN mission … past 60 years. From 1972 until the barracks closed in 2009, hundreds of members from Sean Connolly Barracks in Longford served as Defence Forces members on peacekeeping duties, particularly in Lebanon. One of the most recent deployments to Lebanon was led by Lieutenant Colonel Mark Lennon with

often, people want to serve. The Minister spoke about the quality of the people he inspected recently. The men and women of the Defence Forces are our greatest asset. Even at times when payments and allowances were less favourable, people wanted to join. The difficulty is that many … people private industry wants. In many instances, the challenge we have faced is that highly qualified and very capable members of the Defence Forces, due to their difficulty in making ends meet or the pressures they are under due to the cost of living crisis, see more attractive

addressing this discrepancy? Is the Minister committed? That is what I want to know. Cadet pay is one of the lowest in the Defence Forces at €503 per week compared with €550 for a recruit, which rises to €627 after 12 weeks. In the first year they earn … cadet that is coming through but there have been issues in the past where groups have come out of training in the Defence Forces and a large number of them have ended up in the private sector because the terms and conditions are more attractive

suggested. I am not in any way naive. While I can point to figures that show marginal improvements in the numbers of Defence Forces personnel, I am also aware we are nowhere near the established numbers we need. That marginal improvement provides a degree of false comfort … some of the specialties where we need to continue to recruit and, crucially, as the Deputy said, retain in the Defence Forces. As he referenced, there is the new service commitment scheme. I am always open to exploring options to continue to drive recruitment and, particularly, retention

most serious issue in our Defence Forces over the past 20 years has been the decline in personnel numbers and the brain drain of highly trained specialist personnel. The core of this issue are pay, conditions and career progression. Of the 43 delayed projects … retention problem if we do not address the elephant in the room, that being, we have almost destroyed a life in the Defence Forces as a viable career? Poor pay, poor conditions, poor pensions, and overtime policies in breach of the European Social Charter. When will the Government

There must be something in it, in the sense that the gap between the level of applications and inductions is very high. The Defence Forces is working through its strategic workforce plan to seek to make improvements on that. My own sense, for what it is worth … there, you can lose them. Faster processing and processes are important. Regardless of applications, inductions are thankfully rising. The size of the Permanent Defence Force is growing again. The issue the Deputy raised about recruiting from abroad is one I do not want to give a knee-jerk

criticise. Our people left on that day and the mission continues. Frankly, we are the big losers in that because our people, our Defence Forces members who are ultimately there to protect this State and its people, are losing the experience and superb training they were getting because … Council and the actions of one member. UNIFIL is coming to an end of the year. We will have more members of the Defence Forces working in office roles in Brussels than we will on peacekeeping missions at the end of the year because of the triple lock

that the presence of drones such as this in our airspace is a threat to our national security. The neglect of the Defence Forces by the past three Governments, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil in their various turns, has created a threat to our national security. The Minister … system capabilities. That was due to be delivered in the autumn - quarter 3 of 2025. It is in the Commission on the Defence Forces. She is not bringing it forward. It is already late. In that context, it is a concern to me as to whether it will

quite rightly increasing pay for three-star privates and reforming the apprenticeship pathway so that technical staff beginning their careers in the Defence Forces correspond with three-star privates after six months. The Tánaiste has also overseen the introduction of the instructor's allowance and established a service … traffic controllers in the Air Corps. These are all developments that should quite rightly be applauded. However, at present, everyone else in the Defence Forces is on approximately €43,000 after six months but cadets remain on the €25,000. I understand the points the Tánaiste outlined

were. While we welcome the scheme overall, there are still issues that deserve further consideration. I am concerned that former members of the Defence Forces who may have been dishonourably discharged or otherwise penalised under parallel military provisions do not appear to be fully covered. The proposed timeframe … into it, without scrutiny. It deals with community sanctions, the use of incapacitant spray in prisons, counselling records in rape trials, firearms legislation, Defence Forces powers, European arrest warrants and now it deals with international criminal law and historical convictions. Many of those issues deserve attention and many

possible. It is obviously going through the process. Again, the current public service pay agreement to which the members of the Permanent Defence Forces are party provides for that local bargaining process. It provides for that 3% of basic pay, with the 1% to be paid from … forward to this year, it is 2,878. We are seeing a significant increase in the number of applications, more broadly, across the Defence Forces. There were 16,500 applications last year and up to the end of March of this year alone, there have been

discussion where we look at other neutral countries that are not members of military alliances and the investment they make in their defence forces to ensure they can secure their neutrality and protect their borders in a balanced and reasonable way. To go back to my fundamental point … conversation about how we safeguard our neutrality, how we stand in solidarity with our European allies and how we make sure our Defence Forces, of which we are all very proud and which have a proud legacy of peacekeeping, are equipped properly and that we have the equipment

very best. The office of veterans' affairs is an important recommendation. It was included in the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. We put it in our programme for Government. I have made it a priority that we get it up and running. We are consulting … issue of mental health supports to veterans. This is an important point. As with other members of society, former members of the Permanent Defence Force can, of course, experience difficulties. They can often find themselves in unique circumstances relative to the rest of our population. In such circumstances

clear, the target in terms of what the effective strength of our Reserve Defence Force should be remains the same. We do not disagree on that figure in terms of where we need to get to. When the regeneration and development plan was published in July … effective strength in terms of ambition remains the same. I did have the pleasure of meeting the Reserve Defence Force Representative Association. It was a very good meeting. I do not want to speak for them, but they noted the progress in the office being established

concerns with the Bill, and not just specifically from a policy perspective, are the powers given to Government alone regarding the dispatch of Defence Forces personnel for purposes other than service as part of a relevant international force. The Government may decide to send advisers overseas without Dáil … ally or partner has a reputation for upholding international law or defending human rights. We must be careful who we call on our Defence Forces to not only stand beside but work with to build up their military capabilities. I have a similar concern about undertaking reconnaissance missions

outset, I want to join many colleagues in acknowledging the exceptional service of the men and women of the Defence Forces currently deployed overseas. As we know, their work in peacekeeping missions often takes place in challenging and dangerous environments, as demonstrated most particularly in south Lebanon … constitutional requirement. Rather, it is a legislative mechanism grounded in the Defence Act. It governs the dispatch of Defence Forces personnel overseas, primarily in the context of UN-mandated missions. The triple lock evolved from political commitments during the Nice and Lisbon treaties process and we all accept

Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Defence the measures she is taking to address long-standing issues with internal workplace culture in the Defence Forces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53937/26

Department has carried out an evaluation of the extent to which accommodation issues may be a factor in recruitment and retention in the Defence Forces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53896/26

Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Defence the full cost of using agency nurses to cover nursing duties in the Defence Forces in 2025; the number of hours this payment covered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53646/26

Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Defence the number of applications to join the Defence Forces that have been received in 2026 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53696/26

Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Defence the way in which the Defence Forces are expanding their capacity for delivering military operations in the cyber domain; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54044/26

Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Defence the steps she is taking to improve retention in the Defence Forces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54218/26

Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Defence her views on the matter of there being no adjudicator in place for the Defence Forces conciliation and arbitration scheme since June 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54265/26

Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Defence if she will provide an update on the Commission on the Defence Forces recommendation to develop an accelerated programme of Naval Service vessel replacement to ensure a balanced fleet of nine modern ships by early in the next decade

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Defence if the Defence Forces will provide a base for an ambulance base at Iveragh Park, Killorglin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54120/26

Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Defence the way in which she is ensuring that experienced personnel with the Defence Forces can see a long-term future for themselves and their families within the organisation. [53701/26

Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Defence the assessment that has been carried out of the Defence Forces' capability to support security and protection operations during Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union; and the additional resources, personnel or equipment being put in place

Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Defence the measures she is taking to improve terms and conditions for members of the Defence Forces. [53702/26

Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Defence to report on any anti-drone technology that has been acquired by the Defence Forces for use during the EU Presidency; if training on the system has been completed; if it is operational; and if she will make a statement

Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Defence the resources that have been provided to support the Defence Forces' capacity in the event of extreme weather; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53694/26

Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Defence when she expects the permanent Defence Forces to attain the agreed establishment strength of 9,739; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53697/26

Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Defence if she will report on the planned €400 million investment in Defence Forces infrastructure under the revised NDP. [53895/26

Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Defence her plans to improve the quality and collection of statistics relating to Defence Forces recruitment and retention; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54105/26

Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Defence if all Defence Forces personnel placed on-call for duty during the EU Presidency will be paid promptly. [54134/26

Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Defence the current strength of the permanent Defence Forces by, Army, the Air Corps and the Naval Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53695/26

Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Defence the action being taken to increase recruitment to the Defence Forces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54131/26

Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Defence if the Defence Forces have the capacity needed to maintain continuous surveillance of vessels operating near critical subsea infrastructure during the EU Presidency period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54034/26

Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Defence the number of Defence Forces personnel currently deployed on overseas peacekeeping and peace support missions, broken down by mission; the scheduled end date of each deployment or mandate; the number of personnel she expects will be deployed overseas

Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Defence for an update on any co-operation between the Defence Forces at Aiken Barracks and Dundalk Institute of Technology with regard to upskilling; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53742/26

Minister for Defence the measures her Department is taking to improve access to mental health and wellbeing supports for current and former Defence Forces personnel; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53693/26

Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Defence the action being taken to increase retention levels in the Defence Forces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54132/26