We have a whole suite of proposals coming down the track on that. Three chapters in the commission's report relate to how we treat people in the Defence Forces; how we manage them; transparency around promotions; complaints procedures and how they function; the cultural change that is needed; and the fact that many women in the Defence Forces do not feel safe and welcome, which must and will change. A whole range of factors contribute to the recruitment and retention challenge on which we need to deliver. Pay and c…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 20 together. As I have just outlined to Deputies Brady and Berry, the Permanent Defence Force is currently under strength by just over 1,000 personnel. The report of the Commission on the Defence Forces has made it clear that the level of ambition, LOA, for the Defence Forces must be elevated beyond that at which it is operating at the moment. The report outlines three levels of ambition. LOA 1 is essentially proceeding as we are at present and trying to move back to a full es…

We must first get up to the existing establishment number, which is 9,500. We are approximately 1,100 below that figure. I gave the figures earlier that we are short of in the navy, the Air Corps, which it is hoped will become the air force in a few months’ time, and the Army. We need to get back up to the establishment figure of 9,500. It is pretty self-evident where we are short there. The numbers are clear. Beyond that, the commission recommends an extra 2,000 people. Seven hundred of those are for the Naval Ser…

There are increases in the Air Corps and in the Army also. There will be increased civilianisation within the Defence Forces, as there has been quite successfully in An Garda Síochána, for example.

We have had much discussion with the Defence Forces around civilianisation, because we can recruit more quickly if people do not have to go through military training procedures and so on. We need to be careful with that because the Defence Forces operate on the basis of structure, discipline, common standards and so on. We need to ensure that if we introduce civilians into the Defence Forces, we do it in a targeted way that does not undermine military structures, efficiencies and so on. There is a role for that. Ag…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 9, 11 and 32 together. I thank the Deputy for asking this question and I know she has spoken regularly about this topic. As the Deputies are aware, following the Government decision on 25 January last, I announced the establishment of a judge-led independent review to examine issues relating to bullying, harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct, as well as workplace culture, in the Defence Forces. This is seen as a critical step in ensuring that there is a zero-tolerance app…

I am very careful not to get involved in the work of this independent body. It is led by a judge. She is a very able person who has the support of two other very able people. I simply wanted to get an update on how its work was going to make sure it remained on schedule and whether it needed any further resources for the work it is doing. That is the update I got. I will certainly not be involved in any way in discussions around what the group will recommend and how it will get to those recommendations. The whole p…

The updates I have got to date have been largely procedural relating to how the group is going about its work, including who it is reaching out to, resourcing, accommodation and things like that, to make sure a proper support structure is in place around the work this independent group of people is doing. I committed to, and wanted to have, an interim report because I wanted there to be an opportunity for the independent review to address issues early if it needed to, within six months rather than 12. It will be up…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 10, 12, 27, 41 and 48 together. The answer to that is next month. The initial commitment was to do so before the summer recess. I then said we would like to do it in June so there will be an opportunity to debate it before we break up for the summer recess. This is arguably the most important reform and change to the Defence Forces since the establishment of the State. It is that important. We do not yet have consensus and agreement in the Government on the ambition levels we will h…

I thank the Deputies for their very informed comments on this. One reason why I wanted to be back in the Defence brief was because we had committed to a commission that I expected would make some very telling interventions on the considerations around defence that are necessary and cannot be avoided any longer. We have fantastic Defence Forces. They do a brilliant job as peacekeepers and in the roles that we ask of them within the confines of the resources that they have available to them. But it is not enough in t…

Therefore we will still be an outlier but at least we will be in a more credible position.

Do I not get longer when I have three people asking me questions?

Yes but it is a bit strange when I am replying to, I think, four questions here.

It is five questions that I am answering.

The commission went into quite a lot of detail about what moving to level of ambition No. 2 means. It also goes into a lot of detail about what it would cost. That gives us a good basis for putting an action plan in place. But this is not a question about me being aggressive at the Cabinet table but about working with colleagues. I have already spoken to the three party leaders about this and I will meet them again. I think there is a recognition in the Government that we need to act in this area. There is not a co…

We had the unusual situation today where a lot of the questions revolved around the one issue. We probably could have grouped 20 questions on the commission report and had a discussion on nothing else. That is because of the scale of the recommendations in it and how relevant they are at the moment. By the time we have the next round of questions, I suspect that questions will be put on the commission report as well, but it will be more focused on the Government’s action plan on the back of the report if, as I hope…

My understanding is that the ESB will not be sourcing coal from that particular mine but I can provide more detail on that to the Deputy.

I thank the Deputy. I can understand the concern with regard to this issue. Secretary of State Truss and Vice President Šefčovič had a telephone call this morning. We will get a detailed read-out from that telephone call later today. Clearly, what the British Government has now said is that it intends to move ahead with domestic legislation of its own if it does not see the compromises it is demanding in the context of the protocol. That is deeply unhelpful and has gone down very badly across the European Union. It…

I see I am being designated again. We need to work on the relationship between Britain and Ireland on these issues. The British and Irish Governments understand better than anybody else the complexities of politics in Northern Ireland in the context of what we have just seen in an election that was quite polarising on certain issues. We have a partner in the European Commission, and many other partners across European capitals, to help us do that. As I said earlier, I believe there is a landing zone that can be neg…

I thank the Sinn Féin Senators for tabling a motion on the British Government's new Nationality and Borders Act. The Act's provisions for an ETA scheme raise a number of serious concerns and merit further political consideration in the Seanad. The Government will not oppose this motion as it raises concerns that we share, but it does not reflect a number of important developments since it was first tabled that need to be taken into account. I am pleased to be able to address those issues here with Members today. I …