I propose to take Questions Nos. 72, 107 and 109 together. The Commission on the Defence Forces was established on foot of a commitment in the programme for Government and its report was published on 9 February 2022. There were 69 main recommendations and, including sub-recommendations, 130 recommendations in total. The commission undertook a significant body of work encompassing wide-ranging terms of reference. It recommended significant changes to the Defence Forces and defence provision in Ireland. It covered hi…

Deputy Durkan raised an important issue. We have to pursue, in parallel with the statutory inquiry and dealing comprehensively with the recommendations of the IRG, the issue of increasing capability within the Defence Forces. That is why I mentioned the need for one overall plan to transform the Defence Forces. Culture has to change. What Women of Honour brought to light and what the independent review group has outlined is not to be separated from recruitment and retention issues. There is a need for culture chang…

On pay, I said in reply to an earlier question, there has been significant progress on pay for new recruits. Current pay rates, including military service allowances for recruits on completion of their training, start at €37,147 in year 1, rising to €38,544 in year 2 and €39,832 in year 3 of service. A school-leaver cadet, on commissioning, is paid €41,123. After two years, they are promoted to lieutenant and their pay rises to €46,406. Where a graduate joins, the pay rate on commissioning begins at €46,406. They a…

I thank the Deputy for raising the question. It is fair to say we have witnessed a fundamental change in our security environment in the last year with a renewed focus on maritime security and the protection of subsea cables. Protecting them on an ongoing basis is not a task that Ireland can shoulder alone. It requires international co-operation, shared responsibilities and mutual trust. About 97% of all Internet traffic is now subsea. Ireland is a strong proponent of the important role the European Union can play …

I was very much reflecting on this. The cybersecurity attack on the HSE in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic was a very serious one that had a very severe impact on our health service and caused enormous strain and stress among senior personnel and those at the clinical front line who do scanning. It was interesting that the Polish Government contacted us immediately, as did the UK Government. Poland had a similar experience of the ransomware group Conti, which was deemed to be responsible for the attack, and the…

We have to develop our own capabilities; however, with respect to subsea cables, it is not all about ships and assets. Much of this will involve mathematics, as a person recently said to me. Much expertise will be required. It also means working with semi-State bodies and private companies. I said 97% of all Internet traffic is subsea traffic. An enormous number of financial transactions use cables under the seabed. While having a sufficiency of physical assets is important, the idea that ships will be fortuitously…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 73 and 116 together. On 14 December 2022, eight personnel from the 121st Infantry Battalion were involved in an incident resulting in the death of Private Seán Rooney and injuries suffered by several others, including Trooper Shane Kearney, who suffered critical injuries. I have consistently expressed my determination to have all the facts and circumstances of the incident fully established. No stone will be left unturned to ensure those responsible are brought to justice. Private R…

In response to both Deputies, I will not speculate any further at this stage, given how imminent the trial is. In the course of my meetings with the Minister for National Defence and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Emigrants of Lebanon when I visited following the killing of Private Seán Rooney, I stressed the need for co-operation and the establishment of all the facts and circumstances of the incident. I stressed that no stone should be left unturned in ensuring those responsible will be brought to justice. …

I will first respond to Deputy Cowen's questions. As I said, I do not want to speculate further. I have met with the Lebanese authorities and stressed to them the importance of justice and full accountability in respect of the killing of Seán Rooney. There is a broader context to what happened in terms of the Defence Forces' overseas mission, DFOM, which is the denial of access. There is an increasing hostility by Hezbollah towards UN operations generally in south Lebanon. This has created, at the very minimum, an …

I propose to take Questions Nos. 74 and 83 together. The Defence Forces remain committed to optimising the number of personnel inducted and current recruitment initiatives include ongoing general service recruitment, targeted service specific recruitment, direct entry recruitment, and the re-entry schemes.  The maximum age of entry was recently increased to 29 years old for general service recruits, cadets, Air Corps apprentices and certain specialists. As I mentioned earlier, sanction has recently been received fo…

I will take the question on the Reserve first. There was recruitment last year, but I do not think the procedures and processes were sufficient to accommodate those who had expressed an interest. An office has now been created in respect of recruitment to the Reserve force and its organisation. There is huge potential there. In speaking with the Chief of Staff, the military leadership and the Secretary General, I have stressed that I want to see a rapid improvement in recruitment to the Reserve Defence Force. In te…

I have told the military my view on it. I would not be rushing to be a candidate. The Deputies make a fair point. The military authorities are keeping it under review. In respect of the Naval Service, the military authorities have advised me of the position. I have made the point that the first thing you get when you press a button is a psychometric test. I am not convinced that is the best way to attract people into the military. I have said this. In any event, the Naval Service has advised that in addition to the…

I will reply first to Deputy Stanton. In terms of the breakdown for the first six months, 150 have been inducted, comprising 141 general service recruits, 125 in the Army, three in the Air Corps and 13 in the Naval Service, with one Naval Service engine room artificer. Of the eight re-enlisted personnel, seven are in the Army and one is in the Air Corps. A total of 435 personnel were inducted in 2022. As at 31 May, a total of 293 personnel were discharged, comprised of 34 officers and 259 enlisted personnel. A tota…

A key priority for me as Minister for Defence is to ensure the capabilities of the Defence Forces are maintained, developed and enhanced to ensure the Defence Forces can carry out all of the roles assigned to them by the Government as set out in the White Paper on Defence. Capability priorities for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service are considered as part of the capability development planning processes, which include both a five-year equipment development plan and a built infrastructure programme. The equipment…

As always, we have to look at both the protection of the State but also civil protection issues. In the context of Dublin Airport, this issue was the subject of considerable publicity recently. The Government decided to appoint the DAA to purchase and deploy a counter-drone technology solution at Dublin Airport. This is an interim response, initiated by my colleague, the Minister for Transport, to the risks posed by illegal drone use at Dublin Airport. I am advised that the DAA now has a drone detection system in p…

There is some capability within the Defence Forces regarding drone technology. It is not all about warfare either; it is about many practical applications, for example, where they can come to the aid of the civil power, assist State agencies and utilities and perform drug interdiction. There are many positive utilisations. We have observer status on an Italian-led permanent structured co-operation, PESCO, project on counter-unmanned aerial systems, CUAS, the objectives of which are to define the criteria for the de…

I will read it into the record. To be frank, it is not an issue to which I have given consideration. Now that the Deputy has raised it, I certainly will and perhaps discuss it further with him. As he said, the tradition was to name them after Irish female mythological figures. In 2013, the then Minister instructed that a review of the naming policy should be undertaken. Following that review, the Minister came to the view that naming the ships after world-renowned Irish literary figures reflected a more modern and …

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The passport service is successfully meeting high demand for passports and has issued more than 510,000 passports to date in 2023. All turnaround times are at their target level and more than half of all online adult renewals issue within two working days. The customer service hub is responding to an average of 15,000 queries per week. I would like to highlight the efficiencies of the passport online service, which is by far the quickest way to apply for a passport. It is …

I appreciate the focus of the Deputy in respect of urgent cases. The Passport Office has implemented operational and staffing plans for 2023. In general, it is meeting demand. All processing times are at their target levels. I have been told that there are no backlogs. As I said earlier, approximately half of simple adult renewals are issued within two working days. Approximately 18 competitions were run in 2021 to get staff. We have the customer service hub. When documentation is sent back to people and applicatio…

They are certainly not put to the back of the queue. I want to stress this. I have been speaking to officials in recent days, and I am very clear about this. As Deputy Carthy said, the issue in the case he outlined was that the Garda did not record it. There was an issue with the Garda witness verification in that specific case. I do not have the full details. Where the passport service cannot reach a Garda station, there is a system in place whereby it contacts the relevant superintendent's office to verify the de…