We were recently a member of the Security Council for two years. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which the Deputy mentioned, is a catalyst for change because Russia, at the moment, has a veto on whether we would ever participate in a peacekeeping mission sanctioned by the UN Security Council. Surely the Deputy is not suggesting our hands should be tied, in terms of participation in peacekeeping, by Russia. I know that in 2014, his party had a different view and kind of acquiesced in Russia's invasion of Crimea, wh…

On military advice, I was asked to withdraw troops from the Golan Heights in the interests of consolidation, an issue we will deal with on a later question. We are participating in the EU battlegroup, as we have been doing for 20 years. To give another example, a subsequent EU peacekeeping operation in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia did not have a Security Council mandate and Ireland was unable to participate in that mission. More recently, in 2015, the European Union established a security mission in th…

Everybody has spoken generally about the need for an international force to guarantee security in Gaza, for example. We want the war to stop in Gaza and we have asked for a ceasefire. If it did stop, there would be a need-----

We would argue that it would be far better to have an international security presence there to keep the peace than it would be to have Israeli security in Gaza suppressing people.

The military authorities have advised that as of 31 December 2023, the strength of the Permanent Defence Force stood at 7,550 personnel. A total of 750 personnel discharged in 2023 and 415 personnel were inducted. A table containing the requested breakdown by branch of these figures will be provided to the Deputy. Every effort is being made to increase the strength of our Defence Forces. The high turnover and challenge with recruitment are being experienced worldwide. The Government has introduced many changes to m…

We have established the Defence Forces joint induction training centre in Gormanston, which will ultimately enable induction training to be provided to 900 recruits per annum. That is a significant investment. We have also appointed a specialist internal expertise group to go in, validate and advise on recruitment processes in the Permanent Defence Force, with a particular focus on the Naval Service. A report with detailed recommendations has recently been submitted to me. That is an important piece of work that wi…

It is net.

I do not agree with that at all.

I have to go into the other House to take defence questions in about 20 minutes. I am pleased to join with those who contributed to the debate on the motion put forward by Senator Byrne, which raises a number of important issues, many of which are also of considerable interest to the Government. I agree that it is timely to have this discussion now, following the visit to Ireland last week of Premier Li. Given the breadth of the motion before us, I want to highlight not just the Government’s policy approach to Chin…

This is a net increase. I have been in office for one year. I am determined to deal with this. There are a number of interlocking issues. This Government has dealt substantially with pay. On completion of training, recruits start at €38,000 in year one. That increases to €39,400 in year two and €40,700 in year three. School-leaver cadets, on commissioning, are paid €41,962, or essentially €42,000, and after two years, they are promoted to lieutenant and their pay rises to €47,000. For a graduate joining, the pay ra…

I want to assure the Senator that I am making the point in engagements. He has raised these issues. China has no issue with discussing human rights because it takes its robust position, a position with which we do not agree. The idea that we do not mention these things is not how it works. Last week, President Higgins and the Taoiseach availed of their meetings with Premier Li to formally set out Ireland's concerns on the human rights situation in China. Specifically, the Taoiseach raised concerns about the treatme…

The report of the independent review group, which was established to examine dignity and equality issues in the Defence Forces, was published on 28 March 2023. The Government agreed to progress the recommendations contained in the report, which included the establishment of a statutory inquiry to identify systemic failures, if any, in the complaints system, in order to ensure accountability and transparency. The draft terms of reference were prepared in consultation with the Attorney General and shared with a wide …

I am surprised with what the Deputy said and I do not think it is fair. There has been full respect on my side and there has been ongoing engagement. We actually met in January but the Deputy seems to suggest the last meeting was in December. We met again, we reflected, we changed and we made further inclusions, particularly in respect of the hazardous chemicals issue in Baldonnel. We changed on the instances issue. We dealt with that. People will be able to come forward and discuss what happened to them within the…

The Women of Honour made very significant submissions in respect of this and during the various meetings we had. I believe we have had eight or nine meetings. In December we agreed to include the term "psychological harm" in the definition of abuse and that the tribunal may permit evidence of abuse and the consequences of abuse to be heard. We reflected that in the terms of reference and these have now been included in the finalised terms of reference. In determining the format, we agreed there would be a statutory…

Trade is the lifeblood of the country. We trade with many countries all over the world. That is where the multilateralism comes in and that is why multilateral forums are very important to Ireland. We need to deal with issues in a proper and informed way. Trade is not the be-all and end-all but it is a fairly significant issue for many people living in this country. It relates to jobs and quality of life. It is bread and butter for many small and medium-sized companies as well as bigger companies in the country.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 52 and 65 together. I thank the Deputy for raising the question. As I outlined earlier, the military authorities have advised that as of 31 December 2023, the strength of the Permanent Defence Force stood at 7,550 personnel. A total of 750 personnel were discharged in 2023 and 415 personnel were inducted. The Commission on the Defence Forces stated in its report that it was satisfied that, in broad terms, levels of average turnover are not out of line with other military organisatio…

Our speech in May deals with that. We all need to get a bit real. Some 80% of pharmaceuticals consumed in America are made in China. Climate change will not happen without China's manufacturing capacity. We cannot gear up in terms of the wind infrastructure or solar panels to give the manufacturing capacity in China. I have spoken to the European Chamber of Commerce in Beijing. I have spoken to the representatives of many Irish companies who have given us an illustration of the sheer capacity of what is happening. …

The level of turnover in the Defence Forces was approximately 10% in 2023. That includes those in training. The military advice is that is not unusual across the globe. On the specific point, we brought in a specialist company to examine recruitment processes within the Defence Forces, especially the Naval Service, which is critical. What is happening in the Naval Service is not satisfactory. The company has outlined and identified areas for significant improvement in how the Defence Forces recruit and how we can c…

The Deputy said it himself at the outset and I think we are seeing trends in the gap between inductions and people retiring narrowing. The first objective is to stabilise that and get to a net increase figure. It is going to take some time before we get back to establishment level, never mind the target of the Commission on the Defence Forces. The service limits for privates, corporals and sergeants have been extended on an interim basis to the end of this year, so we will need a decision shortly on creating a sust…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. The report of the IRG established to examine dignity and equality issues in the Defence Forces was published following Government approval on 28 March 2023. The Government agreed to progress the recommendations contained in the report. One of the first actions taken was the establishment of an external oversight body, initially on a non-statutory basis, which is a critical element to driving the necessary culture change throughout the Defence Forces and increasing transpare…