They are not offensive. They are essentially a training preparation exercise. Our Army cannot be isolationist and not ever meet or engage with any other army or defence forces. That is an absurd position to adopt. Taking cybersecurity as an example, which is a huge threat to the country. Are we to be isolationist in terms of the threat of cybersecurity in this country? Are we to ignore the expertise around the world in respect of cybersecurity and in terms of hybrid threats that are increasingly a part of war? We n…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 14, 27, 59 and 74 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. The commission has undertaken a significant body of work, encompassing wide-ranging terms of reference. It recommends significant changes for the Defence Forces and defence provision in Ireland and covers high-level Defence Forces structures, defence capabilities, organisation, culture and human res…

Cuirim céad míle fáilte chuig an gcomhshuí speisialta seo de Dháil Éireann agus Sheanad Éireann roimh an Uachtarán Metsola. Is pribhléid agus onóir mhór dúinn go bhfuil sí anseo linn ag ceiliúradh 50 bliain de bhallraíocht na hÉireann san Aontas Eorpach ón uair a chaith pobal na tíre seo vóta sa reifreann ar 10 Bealtaine 1972. Táimid fíorbhuíoch den Uachtarán as ucht a ceannaireachta san Eoraip, as a cuid oibre ar fad agus as an tacaíocht leanúnach a thugann sí don tír seo. It was my great honour to address the Eur…

I am sorry; I was racing through that a bit. As I said, to date, approximately two thirds of these 38 early actions have been achieved. For example, the head of transformation and the head of strategic HR positions have been advertised externally and progressed. Implementation and governance structures have been developed and initiated, including the establishment of an implementation oversight group with Ms Julie Sinnamon appointed as an independent chair. The requirement for a three-star private able seaman to ma…

I thank the Deputies for their comments. I am in office for just over a month, and I am determined to get beyond the management-speak and to get stuff implemented. I have reflected on the presentations I have received so far. Some progress has been made in some areas, but not fast enough in others. We have discussed the Organisation of Working Time directive. This is not simple. From my previous experience in different Departments, even when that came in originally, it was a very complex piece of work and there was…

We have done it across the board and we are going to do it for the Defence Forces. I have asked that this work be expedited to get it completed, and that work continue on the terms and conditions and the overall environment within which people are working.

I thank the Deputies for their constructive suggestions. I am very much taken by Deputy Smith's point. When talking to military personnel, including those in the Naval Service, Air Corps or Army, there is a strong link back to geography and where barracks were present. Of that there is no doubt. The focus of capital investment at the moment is on upgrading existing facilities but I will talk to the Deputy further in respect of the issue he has raised. The issues raised by Deputy Moynihan have to be sorted in the co…

As the Deputy knows, with procurement you do not spend a whole lot in the early years. To take a radar facility for example, or any building that is planned, it is in the latter stages of the completion that the drawdown happens in respect of capital expenditure, so there can be a progressive increase in capital expenditure over the lifetime of the plan. Deputy Brady and I will have to agree to disagree. We have implemented a lot and a lot of progress has been made. Significant additional resources have been alloca…

Deputy Durkan made similar points about the tradition and those areas, similar to what Deputy Smith referenced.

I thank the Deputy for his helpful question. The ministerial air transport service, MATS, is delivered primarily by use of the Learjet 45 aircraft, which came into operation in 2004. Where it is unavailable, the CASA and-or other Air Corps aircraft may be used. The Learjet is currently approaching its natural end of life. Based on current serviceability issues, discontinuation of manufacturer support and limited part availability for this type of older aircraft, the Air Corps estimates that the aircraft will requir…

I appreciate the Deputy's contribution. His insights are valuable. I did not realise he was a pilot at one stage.

I take the point. The Deputy referred to the Mexican Government crash. That was a shocking crash and a shocking loss of life. There have been issues with the Learjet. There is no point in saying otherwise. There have been serious issues with it. I am not prepared to stand over it. A replacement jet is required. In Afghanistan, we essentially had to depend on other governments to get places on planes for Irish citizens we needed to evacuate quickly. That strategic reach is important. As the Deputy said, medical tran…

It will be future governments that benefit from a replacement jet because the procurement process is such that it will take a bit of time. I do believe it was time to commence the process because an inordinate time was taken to consider it. My view is that we should move ahead on that front. Future governments and the people, in terms of our capacity, will benefit. I have always been of the view that there is only one Óglaigh na hÉireann and that is the Irish Defence Forces. Everybody should honour that and accept …

I will follow that up.

With regard to the nursing homes issue and the disability allowance, how they evolved was of an historic nature. The fundamental problem was that the public policy was transparent from the outset in respect of disability allowance and nursing home payments, going right back to the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Public policy was very transparent in respect of nursing homes. People paid a contribution and so forth. This was by virtue of regulations that had been put into place. Many decades later it transpired that those r…

It is my understanding, by the way, that the 2009 memo was withdrawn from that Cabinet meeting. It would have been circulated but it would have been withdrawn, so there was no decision at that Cabinet meeting-----

-----in respect of that legal strategy but the more fundamental point is, as I said, there is a range right now of up to 30 litigation cases that will come before the Cabinet in an updated form.

That is a culling of 200 cases. Let us be honest that all of them, or quite a significant number, will be sensitive. As an Opposition Member, if the Deputy is presented with any one of them I know what his answer will be: to pay it out 100% because that has been his stock answer the whole way for the last three years.

There will be legal advices coming but the key point that ultimately we all have to decide-----

-----in respect of-----