There is extensive training within the Defence Forces. When they eventually leave, many people come out of the Defence Forces very well qualified and eagerly sought after. This is a problem in some respects because we are anxious that people would stay longer in the Defence Forces. That is why we have improved conditions and pay, as well as retirement ages more recently. Significantly, we have raised the retirement age to 60, and eventually to 62, which has been broadly welcomed across the Defence Forces. Our objec…

I thank the Deputy for raising the question. In fairness, the Deputy has an eagle eye on equipment and opportunities for the Defence Forces. My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service is maintained and developed. This is to enable the Defence Forces to carry out the roles assigned by Government. Equipment priorities for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service are considered in the context of the established capability development and equip…

I agree with the Deputy. We are committed to ethical equipment procurement. It is the ideal. Also, in terms of an earlier question from Deputy Mick Barry, we need to procure ships, aircraft, equipment and weaponry. There is a need so there is a need for a defence industry. It seems there are mixed views about that in the House. There is almost a sense here that we should have no industry in Ireland at all but I take the Deputy's point. There was a time when we could, and did, construct and ship-build in this countr…

My hope is that by the time this Dáil comes to a conclusion, the gap between induction and retirement will have been closed in the first instance and then hopefully there will be a net increase after that. I am concerned about the recruitment system within the Naval Service and Defence Forces and it needs to change. We brought in consultants from the private sector to examine recruitment processes and approaches. It is clear from the report that what we have is not optimal, to put it that way. We need to improve in…

I thank the Deputy for raising the question. The Naval Service is the State's principal sea-going agency and is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles. The primary day-to-day tasking of the Naval Service is to provide a fishery protection service in accordance with the State's obligations as a member of the European Union. These patrols are carried out on a regular and frequent basis and are directed to all areas of Irish waters, as necessary. The Naval Service has recently adopted a three-ship operationa…

They will be deterred by intelligence and proper co-ordination among various countries and agencies. This is what happened recently when a major intervention took place. The Defence Forces successfully landed on a ship and intervened to carry out the largest drugs seizure in the history of the State. Maritime surveillance is not solely carried out by Naval Service ships. We also have aircraft, namely, CN-235s and, now, C-295s. We have far greater aerial surveillance capability of our seas than we have ever had with…

There is no argument but that we have a recruitment crisis in the Naval Service. I am very clear on that. That is why we have taken a range of actions since I became Minister with responsibility for the Naval Service, including bringing in CPL to look at the recruitment processes. Moreover, the navy has hired a specialist agency for the specialists required to man ships. We have doubled the patrol duty allowance. We have initiated other improvements, including starting pay, which is now much more comparable to othe…

My Department's litigation branch manages and co-ordinates litigation claims and, in so doing, works closely with both the State Claims Agency, SCA, and the Chief State Solicitor’s office, CSSO. The Deputy will be aware that all claims for personal injuries taken by current and former members of the Defence Forces have been delegated to the SCA. The SCA manages and provides legal representation in relation to personal injury cases taken against the Minister for Defence. External legal costs incurred by the State Cl…

I do not disagree although some of these could be personal injury awards or occupational injuries that occurred during the course of people’s duties and people are entitled to seek redress. I would prefer mediation but under the law - the Oireachtas has provided for this - the State Claims Agency deals with claims on behalf of the State and that includes the Department of Defence in respect of claims on a whole range of issues. We have established a tribunal of inquiry following the independent review group's findi…

To be clear, the Women of Honour group did see the terms of reference before publication. As there was a series of drafts of the terms of reference that went to and fro between the Women of Honour, their legal representatives, the Department and me, what the Deputy said is not correct. I want to be very clear about that. It was a long enough process to finally conclude the terms of reference. The majority of what was asked for has been provided for within the terms of reference. It is also a public inquiry which th…

Over the period 2020 to 2024, the combined budget has increased from €1.04 billion to €1.25 billion, an increase of €210 million, amounting to an increase of over 20% in that period. The increases are available in tabular form, which the Deputy can get in the various aspects of the Revised Estimates Volume. On using capital, there was a practice in the Department where revenue was used. We are looking to see if we can do that again this year. We are heading in an upward trajectory in terms of capital this year. We …

Ní aontaím in aon chor leis an Teachta. Níl aon amhras orm ach go bhfuil muintir na tíre ag cur béime ar ghnáthchúrsaí an tsaoil. Níl muintir na tíre ag lorg olltoghcháin ag an bpointe seo. Tá siad ag lorg dul chun cinn ó thaobh cúrsaí tithíochta agus sláinte. Ní labhróimid faoin ngéarchéim aeráide agus a lán nithe eile. The people of this country do not want a general election. I have been very committed since the last general election to a full, five-year term of government. That has always been my position. I be…

The people will decide when the time for the election comes. We have up until March of next year; that is the programme of this Government. I have fought far more general elections than the Deputy has. I have never been afraid of an election. I have contested many of them, so the Deputy should not talk to me and lecture me about elections, please. I am interested in government and in the basic policy issues people want us to address. The people want us to address issues and deliver on them, which we are doing. Just…

No, it is not. It needs policies and it needs substance.

Sinn Féin does not have substance and it does not have detail. It has bluster, bluster and bluster.

I appreciate the Deputy's kind comments in respect of the outgoing Taoiseach and the comments she has made about abuse in politics and toxicity in public discourse as regards politics. I agree with her 100% on that, and we collectively have to address that issue because the most fundamental thing we should all agree on in this House is freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of mobility around our streets. Even yesterday, in the environs of Leinster House, people were trying to encroach on and dis…

The planning Bill should be completed. Huge work has gone into its preparation. It has gone through pre-legislative scrutiny and so on. That is an important piece of work. I recently saw a judicial review of a bus stop in connection with BusConnects. We need to streamline things and make sure we have a planning system fit for purpose because we have enormous projects to deliver in offshore wind energy, housing and infrastructure more generally. On housing, the first-time buyer situation has improved significantly u…

I said earlier that in February alone, commencements are dramatically up.

That is change. That is added progress to progress already made. There were 33,000 houses built last year. I understand that commencements are up by 85% in February this year, compared with last year. That is progress. The Constitution is clear. The Dáil elects the Taoiseach of the day. There has been an attempt, not by Deputy Bacik but by others, to suggest that there should be a general election. A general election elects parties and Deputies. A majority of those Deputies elects the Taoiseach of the day once the …

I thank the Deputy for raising a variety of important issues. In terms of regulation and so forth, the Department of agriculture makes every effort to keep the various schemes and the implementation of schemes as simple as possible. The Department engages closely with farmers on all scheme delivery issues. There is the Department's farmers' charter, which provides for regular engagement. There are formal stakeholder engagement structures and ongoing bilateral contacts. The Department also provides a range of practi…