I thank the Deputy. He is right to mention the primary role the Defence Forces play and carry out with distinction. We all feel a great sense of pride, which we have been talking about in the Houses this afternoon, when we see our troops abroad. I think of our UNIFIL colleagues in Lebanon and look forward to visiting them shortly. We also see on a local level the difference the men and women of the Defence Forces play in providing aid to the civil authority. When the bad weather comes, such as snow or flooding, the…

I would be delighted to accept his invitation to visit Casement Aerodrome at Baldonnel. It is somewhere I know well but I would benefit from coming in, sitting down and looking at what I know is the exciting master planning being done for that site. There is huge potential to do so much more. I will very much take the Deputy up on his invitation. I look forward to the visit with him. My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that we have operational capability of the Defence Forces and that it is maintained …

I cannot give more details on where we are in replacing that naval vehicle beyond what I have said. On radar and subsea awareness capabilities, and particularly given the current security environment in which Ireland resides as the State is not immune from the current geopolitical security environment, I have asked my officials to consider a more aggressive procurement strategy around how we can make progress on this. Recommended as part of the move to LOA2 is the development of a new air defence system compatible …

I very much welcome that delivery as well because we have to be cognisant of the fact that all too often the evacuation is required of our citizens from certain parts of the world. It is becoming a much more frequent occurrence and while we have great partners, we are proud members of the European Union and we have great friends, we also have an obligation to be in a position to assist our own citizens. Some of the significant investments we are making in our Air Corps will make a real and meaningful difference in …

I thank the Deputy. I know this one well because we have met with Ranelagh Gaels on a number of occasions in recent months. I thank him for the work he has been doing with them. The Defence Forces facilities that we have are, of course, primarily for our Defence Forces but where it makes sense to make parts of that available for community use for sports use and for our young people then we should do that as well. The Deputy will be aware there is a long-standing policy of my Department and the Defence Forces of all…

The Deputy is entirely right. I have had the benefit of being in his constituency and meeting with him and the Ranelagh Gaels in previous roles I have held. I look forward very much to doing that again and to personally assisting in any way I can on this, and more broadly in regard to Defence Forces facilities across the country. There are sensitivities around Defence Forces facilities, as there should be, but there is also a common-sense approach that my Department and the Defence Forces endeavour to take. These a…

With the agreement of the House, I will share time with the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne. A Chathaoirligh Gníomhach agus a Theachtaí, I thank you for the opportunity to have this important debate in Dáil Éireann today as we mark the third anniversary of Russia’s unprovoked, illegal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We are at a critical moment in terms of the trajectory of Russia’s war in Ukraine. How Europe and the international community respond will have far-reaching consequences for Ukraine, European se…

We believe that, ultimately, the greatest security guarantee we can offer now to Ukraine is membership of the European Union, remembering the European Union is the greatest peace project the world has ever known. We will continue to advocate at an EU level for progress on Ukraine’s EU accession path. We hope that agreement can quickly be found to open negotiations on the first cluster of chapters. We have been really impressed by the reforms Ukraine has undertaken to date while in the middle of a war. We are commit…

No, we do not.

And you are not.

There is no proposal like that.

Hear, hear.

I thank Deputy Doherty for raising this important question. There is no doubt this storm has caused significant chaos and hardship in many parts of this country, and disproportionately so in the west and north-west of the country; the Deputy is right in that regard. We are all collectively relieved in Ireland, most particularly those communities, that the power is finally back. I know that Deputy Doherty will join me in saying that the Trojan work carried out by workers from the ESB, local authorities, Uisce Éirean…

I thank Deputy Doherty. The long and the short answer is yes, we will be engaging with the ESB. We will also, in line with our programme for Government commitment, be engaging on the issue of energy costs overall. I can point to a number of measures the previous Government took and that this Government will be taking in respect of assisting people with their energy costs. People will remember that the previous Government took a number of measures around energy credits in order to assist people, in the here and now,…

A Dáil debate would of course be useful. I agree with Deputy Bacik that if we had committees established - and I hope we will very shortly - I am sure there would be very serious questions asked of the Arts Council. Breaching the public spending code cannot be a consequence-free zone. It simply cannot. These issues are, quite frankly, absolutely alarming. People can make mistakes in terms of the delivery of projects. That is one thing, but it is very different when you just ignore the public spending code and the v…

I have already said I think that would be a good idea. The Minister has been in the post for approximately two weeks. I am not sure he could have acted much more quickly at all. In fact, it would have been impossible to have acted more quickly in terms of bringing this issue to Cabinet. To be very clear, because Deputy Bacik has said it twice, this issue was not brought to the attention of the previous Government. It would have been preferable had it been. As recently as this morning, I had that matter checked with…

Certainly, nobody on this side of the House in any way laughs about such matters. The Deputy is entirely correct. They are extraordinarily serious matters. Men and women get up every morning, go to work, do a hard day's work and pay their taxes, and they want to see those taxes spent well to deliver for them and their families and communities. It is also fair to say, however, that Government can only be accountable for what it is told. If there are officials in State agencies or others who are pursuing a project th…

I accept the Deputy's passion on this matter. Perhaps I speak in a calmer tone than he does on occasion, but I ask that he please not misunderstand that. There is absolute fury on Government benches in respect of this situation. The people we represent - the people who voted for us and the mandates we have received - are extraordinarily annoyed about this matter. The Deputy is right. Almost €7 million of taxpayers' money that was given to the Arts Council has been wasted, with nothing to show for it. As deputy head…

That is what a responsible Government does. A responsible Government also garners the facts. Let us do that. We do not need faux outrage. What we need are the facts. Gather the facts and then Government will make a proper determination when it has the information. That is what some of the Deputy's colleagues on the Opposition benches have rightly called for. We need to go through this by means of an external review. We will get to the bottom of this. Breaching the public sector spending code is not consequence free…

I have already said that I believe this issue is very serious. I believe we need to get to the bottom of it. I believe people in well-paid positions in public bodies should be expected to deliver and to be cognisant of the public sector spending code. I believe the arts community has been let down. I also believe that as we have an external review, there are legitimate questions about the level of oversight and engagement between the Department, its officials and the Arts Council. That is clear. It is also clear fr…