Results 441-460 of 1,040,983 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Damien English OR speaker:Réada Cronin OR speaker:Micheál Martin OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh) in 'Committee meetings'

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (2 Jul 2024)

Ivana Bacik: I acknowledge, as others have done, the announcement today by Deputies Shortall and Catherine Murphy and I add my voice to those wishing them well. As Deputy McDonald has said, it is rare to see an outbreak of girl power in this House, or women power as I prefer to say. There are far too few women here and it makes their extensive careers in public service all the more noteworthy. I...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: I am pleased to report to the committee on Irish Defence Forces participation in United Nations missions in 2023. This report was laid before Dáil Éireann on 3 May 2024. The following motion was placed on the Order Paper for Dáil Éireann and has been referred to this committee: That Dáil Éireann approves: ... (II) the report by the Minister for Defence...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Réada Cronin: I welcome the Tánaiste. I also wish to be associated with his words on Private Seán Rooney. Ar dheis Dé go raibh sé. I have a few questions for the Tánaiste on the UN report. How many Defence Forces personnel served abroad as part of the United Nations mandated missions in 2019 and 2023? How many does the Tánaiste expect to serve abroad in 2024 and 2025?

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: I do not have the figures for 2019 immediately to hand. I will get them for the Deputy shortly. A figure of 1,509 personnel served during 2023. That has people coming between the two six-month rotations. As of 5 June 2024, Ireland contributes 430 Defence Forces personnel to overseas missions and locations, which reflects the Government's continued commitment to our responsibilities in the...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Réada Cronin: In the opening statement, the Tánaiste said UNDOF withdrawal stems from "a joint assessment by the Department and the Defence Forces ... for the Defence Forces to undertake a process of consolidation ... to prepare for future peacekeeping missions". Was the requirement to participate in the EU battle group part of the terms of reference of that joint assessment?

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: No, although it is a factor. Shortly after I became Minister for Defence, I received strong military advice from the Chief of Staff recommending that we pull out of UNDOF. I think he would have been aware of my decision to enter the battle group because we are part of the CSDP missions. I am very clear about that role for Ireland in terms of-----

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Réada Cronin: What I am trying to get at is whether the battle group-----

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: No. Fundamentally, the decision was taken on military advice.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Réada Cronin: Did the Tánaiste prioritise the battle group over UN missions?

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: No. I was advised anyway. The advice was coming because these are two different types of missions. If we are honest, they are not comparable at all in some respects. We first deployed there in 2013 and 3,000 troops have served overall. It is not unusual for us to give ten years or more to a given place. The one place where we have been more or less continuously, with one interruption...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Réada Cronin: What I am trying to get at is whether the Tánaiste would have come to the same decision if we had 11,500 members of the Defence Forces as opposed to 9,500 members. Would the same decision have been taken?

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: We may or may not have taken the same decision. The military advice was clear. To be frank, the military advice was that there was a desire to move on. This was the sense I got when I became Minister for Defence.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Réada Cronin: Okay. The Tánaiste talked about the "increased focus on the crucial work [of our Defence Forces] in the Middle East" post 7 October. Was the decision revisited or reconsidered in that context? What future peacekeeping missions are the Defence Forces currently preparing for and what stage is planning at? Is the Government in active discussions with the UN in relation to any pending...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: We are not in active discussion. The most immediate action in this context has been the deployment of an additional platoon of 33 personnel to go to Lebanon on top of the 344 troops we have there now. This is the immediate focus at the moment. We keep the situation under review. If the UN comes to us with a specific request, we will, of course, consider it.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Réada Cronin: How many members of the Defence Forces have been secured so far to participate in the EU battle group? The Tánaiste said-----

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Chief of Staff has assured me it will be fully staffed and this is what I expect.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Réada Cronin: The Tánaiste expects it to be fully staffed.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: Around 175 or 180 personnel will be involved as things stand now.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Réada Cronin: Okay. As we review the deployment of Defence Forces personnel overseas, I ask the Tánaiste to outline his intentions regarding the removal of the triple lock, which is the neutrality protection mechanism we have. What are the proposals to approve overseas deployment if the need for the UN mandate is successfully removed in the context of the triple lock?

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of Ireland's Participation in Two PESCO Projects and Two European Defence Agency Projects and the Report Regarding Service by the Defence Forces with the UN in 2023: Motion (2 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: I must reassert the point that there is no connection between the triple lock and our military neutrality. Our military neutrality means that we are not members of a military alliance and we have no plans to be a member of a military alliance. The triple lock refers to a three-stage process to approve the deployment of troops on a peacekeeping mission. At the moment, this involves the...