Helen McEntee
Meath East · Fine Gael · Ireland
“There are no new missions, so there is only so much we can partake in. In regard to UN requests over the past ten years, in September 2019, we had 14 Defence Forces personnel deployed to a UN mission in Mali as part of a joint operation with the German armed forces.”
“I thank the Deputy for his continued engagement on this matter. It is appreciated and I reaffirm our shared commitment to truth and justice, not least for Private Rooney, but in particular for his family.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. I know he is committed to this issue; I am too. I have in recent months spent some time travelling to different barracks and Army bases and meeting with personnel. What I see all over the country is their professionalism, dedication and commitment.”
“I disagree that people are being pushed into the courts. The situation is exactly the opposite. I have said in the Chamber many times since I started taking these questions that the State Claims Agency is there and wants to mediate and work directly with people in order that cases do not go directly to the courts.”
“We are all committed to strengthening recruitment to and supporting retention in the Permanent Defence Force. The military authorities have advised that the strength of the Permanent Defence Force stood at 7,823 personnel on 31 May, the most recent date for which we have a figure available.”
“It is the case that no mission is the same, so it is also a matter for the Defence Forces to assess and scope out the mission and then to decide whether it is a mission we can partake in. A question keeps being asked about what it is we would not be able to be a part of if we were to keep the triple lock.”
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“I fully agree with the Deputy. The reason there is a need for this to be introduced as soon as possible is because we are seeing a changed landscape and changed types of threats. We are seeing more hybrid activity and use of drones not just here, but in other countries as well that is disrupting airspace, causing significant challenges, costing a lot of money and creating a real sense of unease. It is really important that we have the right capability to be able to detect what is in our skies, what is happening over our waters and importantly, under water. This is an area through the maritime security strategy that we will be able to ensure we can progress as quickly as possible. The counter-UAS anti-drone technology is progressing this year.”
“It is going to take a number of years to do all of this; starting this year in particular with the counter-UAS capabilities. The Deputy will have heard this discussed many times around the counter-drone technology and making sure we have this in place for our Presidency and to support the work of An Garda Síochána.”
“Towards the end of last year, the preliminary business case for the military radar programme was approved. This concluded that a Government-level approach with one country was the preferred option. In line with this approach my Department immediately commenced negotiations with France on a potential agreement for the delivery of capability requirements under this programme. These are ongoing with the French authorities. However, while full delivery of the programme will be complex, it has been prioritised with a target date identified in the years ahead of 2028. I published recently the detailed implementation plan for the development of this complete, recognised air picture. That being said, elements of the overall programme will be rolled out in phases.”
“Among its recommendations on capability development, the commission recommended that we develop a primary radar system to ensure Ireland can maintain that complete air picture and that this should be an immediate priority. That is why when I came into the Department I insisted this was brought forward in terms of our capital spend and that we bring forward as much of it as possible. This is being progressed under the military radar programme. There are three elements to it, namely, the land-based, long-range radar primary radar; ground-based air defence systems to include the counter-unmanned aerial systems, that is, the counter-drone technology and our maritime radar. This programme of work is ongoing but good progress has been made.”
“I thank the Deputy for this particular question. Developing the military radar capability of the Defence Forces is one of my key priorities and a key element of the move to level of ambition 2. The Commission on the Defence Forces advised that the absence of a capability to maintain a complete recognised air picture is something we need to address. We need to make sure we have the capacity to have a recognised air picture and it needs to be complete. This means we would be able to protect our national sovereignty and airspace and we would have the ability to detect any infringements for the purpose of civil aviation safety and maintenance of co-operative relations with neighbouring states, which are also impacted by this capability gap.”
“We wish to reassure our colleagues in our discussions in the months ahead and I have already met our French, Italian, Spanish and Polish colleagues to discuss how we can ensure there is a continued presence on the ground but without the UN-mandated mission. We are talking about something much smaller that does not provide the same level of support or numbers of troops, which is a real regret for all of us. We will do everything we can to ensure there is still that presence on the ground.”
“I join with the Deputy in thanking all of our troops who, for the past number of decades, have contributed significantly to peace in Lebanon and to monitoring the situation and who continue to do so even in the most hostile of environments. I met many of those members who travelled out in the past few weeks with their families. For many of them this is their second, third, fourth or fifth mission. This is something we know our troops are absolutely committed to, for which they are held in high regard, not just by the Lebanese armed forces and Government but by the people on the ground. I have no doubt but that had our troops and other troops not been present in recent months, the situation could have been much worse for them, which is hard to imagine in what is already a very difficult situation.”
“It is really important that as this mission comes to a conclusion, it does so in a safe and orderly way. That is absolutely at the forefront of our Defence Forces members' minds in everything they do. What is also important - and I can touch on this in my final contribution - is what we do next. When I spoke to Kaja Kallas today, the High Representative who chairs the foreign affairs and defence Council and with whom we will be working closely during our Presidency, I confirmed that during our Presidency and at its outset, we will be steering the conversation as to what happens next. It is really important from Ireland’s perspective that we find a way to be present and to be part of some form of the mission on the ground in Lebanon to carry on the work we have been doing for decades.”
“I will refer to an earlier question around the orderly drawdowns. We have had in the last few weeks seen the last battalion travel to Lebanon where there was a crossover with the troops who had been there previously. That will be the final round of troops, essentially, that would carry out this mission. What we will see later this year is a much smaller number who will travel over to help to wind down the mission and make sure the equipment and technology we have over there can be brought out, as well as to make sure we support what is an orderly draw-down in order that other troops and teams are protected. In the past few months in particular, we have seen a lot of how the Irish Defence Forces, our peacekeepers, have worked closely to protect and support their French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Indonesian and many other colleagues.”
“At a bilateral level I have also engaged directly with the Lebanese foreign minister, Mr. Raggi, and during this conversation I expressed our concern regarding the ongoing hostilities. It is important to stress that while he reaffirmed his absolute thanks and his appreciation for the role of the peacekeeping troops, I reaffirmed our absolute commitment and our presence on the ground and our desire to ensure that there is a continued mandate or a continued mission in some format once the UNIFIL mission comes to an end.”
“It is important to stress that I engage with our own Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces and our own personnel on a daily and weekly basis on the current situation and to ensure that our personnel are safe. In parallel, I have worked closely with European partners contributing to UNIFIL. We have had a broader discussion with the European troop contributing counterparts where, following that discussion, we engaged directly with Under-Secretary-General Lacroix calling for strengthened protection mechanisms for UNIFIL personnel and for thorough investigations into all incidents involving peacekeepers. We acknowledge that a number of peacekeepers across different countries have been killed in their duties in recent times and it is completely unacceptable that peacekeepers would be put in this type of danger.”
“I have engaged extensively, and will continue to do so, with the United Nations, with our European partners and with other key stakeholders on this matter, as well as maintaining direct bilateral contact with the Lebanese authorities and with my Lebanese counterpart who I have spoken to on a regular basis. This engagement reflects our long-standing commitment to peacekeeping, to the UNIFIL mission and to the seriousness of the current security environment. I have also spoken directly at senior levels within the UN. Most recently I have spoken with UN under-secretary-general for peace operations, Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, and I have written to him again reiterating our serious concerns regarding the safety and the security of peacekeepers in Lebanon.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. We are all very conscious of the very complex and changing environment in Lebanon on a daily basis, and even today when there were supposed to be ceasefires we see continuous fire and conflict taking place. I assure the House that there has been ongoing and substantive engagement with the United Nations and with our international partners regarding the position and future role of Irish personnel serving with UNIFIL, and particularly in light of the continuing and deeply concerning hostilities in Lebanon.”
“We will work closely with them to try to make progress on this matter. I have no doubt that we will and that very soon we will be talking about the next public sector pay agreement and how we can see a greater level of increase across the board,. In terms of the tribunal, I have to work within the legal parameters of the tribunal and it is only for the chair of the tribunal to decide where and when costs would be awarded. It is not a decision that I can take. I have relayed this directly to the Women of Honour but obviously a decision has been taken in the last few days by the judge and it is a matter for the judge in the tribunal to address those matters specifically and to respond to the request.”
“I thank the Deputy. I repeat what I have said on the floor of the House here but also when engaging with RACO and other members. I am committed to working with them in trying to advance not just pay but overall working conditions for members of the Defence Forces. If we want to achieve higher numbers, if we want to achieve a greater workforce design and if we want to expand our overall priorities, objectives and our overall capabilities then we need to make sure that we are looking at every aspect here. I have to work within the processes that are there, however. I have to work within the public sector pay agreement. I have to work within the structures that are there. Local bargaining is there and it is within the remit and the gift of the different representative groups to decide what they want to prioritise within that.”
“I may come back in on some of the other areas where we have tried to address what the Deputy said, namely, how, when we get people in, we actually maintain them and improve conditions more broadly; not just for cadets.”
“There also has been engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation on the issue of cadet pay. It has highlighted again the public service pay agreements and the need to work within those parameters. We also have the local bargaining process. I appreciate that this is taking longer than any of us would like but this allows parties to bring forward proposals up to a maximum value equivalent to 3% of basic pay, with 1% to be paid from the current agreement and then the balance addressed in any successor payment agreement. There are opportunities in the various different processes that I have mentioned to try to address pay and conditions.”
“The Deputy will be aware that anything we do in this regard has to be very much in line with the parameters of the public pay policy. I am not the Minister for public expenditure and reform. What I can do is look to see whether there are other mechanisms by which we can increase the overall figure. I have met RACO and I have spoken to its representatives about this. I know this is a real priority for it. While I gave a very clear commitment when I met them earlier this year that this is something I would pursue, I have to do it through the various different channels. The issue is on the agenda of the conciliation and arbitration scheme for members of the Permanent Defence Force. I have agreed to see if there is something further or another mechanism or way in which we can address this.”
“Following the cadetship and on commissioning, officers' starting salaries range from €46,823 to €52,265, depending on whether they joined as school-leavers or graduates. What is very clear is that there is still a high level of interest in joining the Defence Forces through cadetship. We received 2,878 applications for 80 cadetship places this year. We want to make sure that when we fill those numbers we maintain people and keep people there. If we compare that even with last year, there were 1,819 and in 2024 there were 1,791, so the numbers have increased significantly. I believe the increase in the overall pay will help towards that but this is not to say I am not determined and committed to try to increase those numbers even further.”
“For context, in July 2021 the first entry-level point for a cadet joining the Defence Forces was €19,640 but as of 1 June 2026 the first point on the scale for a cadet joining the Defence Forces is €26,510, an increase of almost €7,000. I appreciate that for somebody who is coming in later in life who has financial commitments, that is not going to be at a level that he or she might achieve in other areas. However, we have different pay scales that apply during the cadetship period depending on qualification, with the current pay scale applicable to cadets ranging from €26,510 up to almost €40,000. Cadets are also provided with accommodation and meals free of charge which obviously adds significant value, on top of the overall pay package.”
“I have been in office for a little bit less than that but I am absolutely determined that we make progress across all areas of pay when it comes to the Defence Forces, at every level. The Deputy will appreciate that much of that work will have to happen through the normal process of the public sector pay agreements. At the same time, I have been very clear that where we can make progress in other ways, I would like to do so. I want to highlight the significant progress that the Government has made on pay and conditions for Defence Forces personnel, particularly over the last five years, including in the area of cadet pay.”
“There has been a conclusion there but because this process is ongoing and because of the cases, there is not much more that I can say in this regard. It is important to stress that the State Claims Agency has reached out. I understand that it is very much the decision of individuals as to which route they decide to go or what they decide to do. On that basis and given the legal advice I have received, I cannot go into any more detail on this.”
“What I am saying is that I have engaged with my team. A body of work had started when I came into the Department and I had asked for it to be completed. Since then, I have engaged with the Attorney General and the State Claims Agency. I have also assessed the current situation. What we know is that we have a number of cases that have gone through the State Claims Agency or that have engaged with the agency, as they were entitled to do. There is another process, and that is through the courts. What I am saying is that is not the route we are forcing people through. There is a separate process through the State Claims Agency that we have already seen an individual go through, where there has been a resolution following mediation-----”
“Based on those conversations, I have determined that the process that is currently happening at the moment is the most appropriate course of action. There is no suggestion to me at this moment in time that we are talking about numbers that the Deputy has referenced in other types of cases or scenarios. What I do know is that we have active cases that are now going to be brought forward because of case management. Individuals have the option to engage in mediation as well. That is a process that is there and that has a legal structure to it as well and one that we have supported. I do not want to push people to the courts for any issue here. That is not something that we would do as a Department. There are options there and there are alternative options for people.”
“What we know is the number of people who have come forward. I know the number of people who have presented, be it through the State Claims Agency or who are going through litigation processes and have only in recent times put themselves forward and highlighted their own situation. There is one case, as we know, that has gone through mediation and concluded that mediation process. There is a particular decision that has been taken by individuals as to which route they want to take here. Beyond that, as I have said, a body of work was done in the Department to see if there was anything further that should be done. Subsequently, since that work was done, I have engaged with the Attorney General, the State Claims Agency and my own Department.”
“There has been progress since we last spoke about this. Obviously, this means that this is now moving forward in the courts process. This is not a decision that we have taken ourselves; it is the decision that has been reached by the judge. It is important that I do not say anything here that would in any way impact that process.”
“The State Claims Agency has informed me that a number of cases have been taken under active case management by the courts. At the moment, nothing is moving. As I referenced previously, there have been attempts by the State Claims Agency to actively engage with a number of plaintiffs over the last number of months, with a particular view to mediating cases. However, these offers to progress the mediation have not been taken up. Neither has there been progress in relation to the courts. There has been an active case management taken on by the courts. As I am sure the Deputy knows, this means a judge can actively pursue, require engagement of the parties, push matters forward, seek papers and testimony, compel mediation and set specific deadlines. This may result in the development of these cases in the near future.”
“I am not trying to be evasive or avoid questions. It is clear to me that matters of health and safety in the Air Corps, particularly when we are talking about allegations of exposure to chemicals, are directly relevant to all of the cases before the courts which is why I cannot get into detail in terms of what is next. I know of the number of cases that are there. There were 23 cases. One has been settled through mediation, 12 are moving forward and ten have only come to the fore in the last number of years. There are a number of cases that have been presented. I cannot speak beyond that because there are limitations in that regard currently. In respect of the current litigation cases, I can bring a recent development to the Deputy's attention, which he might not be aware of since we last spoke.”
“I appreciate that the Deputy has raised this a number of times, and that he might not always like the answer I give him. However, I am reminded continuously that in the discussions we are having here, while the Deputy appreciates there are certain things I cannot say and certain areas I cannot talk about, that is because I am a main defendant, as Minister, in all of the cases that have been brought forward, cases that are being brought forward and cases that may come forward in the future. While the Deputy talks about the whole group of people that may be impacted by the issue we are talking about here, there are current live litigation cases that are potentially being brought forward in the weeks ahead that will have implications for any other person who might find themselves in a similar situation.”
“Because of the triple lock, other countries can decide where we keep our troops and whether they can continue to be deployed on missions that will continue without us, as Operation Irini will. We should not allow other states to take that decision. This Bill does not change our position on neutrality and does not prevent us from engaging in other missions outside of the UN mandate structure, as we already do. It makes sure that, where we are involved in operations like the one we saw end in the last two weeks, the rug is not pulled from under us because the mission is not continuing in its current format. The triple lock binds us in a way that it should not. It does not bind other countries. Even Austria, a neutral country, is not required to go through this extensive triple-lock process.”
“We are part of various different peacekeeping missions, including those in the western Balkans and Common Security and Defence Policy missions, although I appreciate those are separate and mainly focus on training. There are civilian missions and there are also military missions. Just now, I gave the Deputy an example of a UN mission we have been part of and contributed to for the last number of years. Our members have been held in high regard because of the experience, knowledge and commitment they have brought to that mission, Operation Irini. Because that mandate was not renewed and expired in the last two weeks, we can no longer have troops as part of that mission.”
“The only people who will lose out are the Irish people and members of our Defence Forces, who have gained a wealth of experience from their participation in that mission.”
“Irish troops, members of the Irish Defence Forces, and the people of this country will no longer benefit from the experience and knowledge those troops gain from being part of these missions. It is really important to take into consideration that we are not talking about some abstract concept. This is not about something that may or may not happen in the future or that happened in the past. As of now, we have troops in Lebanon whose mandate will not be renewed. The final troops went out on rotation in the last few weeks. That will finish next year. It will no longer continue. In the last two weeks, troops have had to finish up with a mission that will continue without us.”
“We are seeing the reason for moving on this now play out in real time. It is not just the decision taken not to continue the UN mandate in Lebanon where we have had members on the ground for decades. In the last two weeks, I met members of the Defence Forces in Rome. On the very day I met them, they had to finish up with Operation Irini, which had a mandate to operate in the Mediterranean to prevent arms from getting to Libya. These members contributed significantly to that overall mission and are held in very high regard among members of the defence forces of other countries. They themselves told me personally that Ireland is the main one to lose out because of this mandate not being renewed.”
“Current legislation allows members of the UN Security Council by means of a veto or threat of same to bind this country's hands in its international peacekeeping engagement. It is simply not acceptable to have a situation in which Ireland's decision making with regard to participation in peace operations can be impacted by the geopolitical interests of other states. I have provided many examples of this to the House, most recently the difficulties regarding extension of the UNIFIL mandate until the end of this year, and because of that the requirement for us to withdraw our personnel from south Lebanon at the conclusion of that mission.”
“That does not currently exist. I outline that is also part of the legislation. In effect, the requirement for a UN mandate will be removed. It will modify the existing requirement regarding what we know as the triple lock mechanism in relation to the despatch of the Defence Forces for service outside the State as part of an international United Nations force. There has been extensive engagement between my Department and the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel with regard to the drafting of the Bill and it is my intention to bring it to the House as soon as possible. As this House is aware, the key proposed legislative change is that the requirement for a UN Security Council mandate will be removed.”
“I thank the Deputy for the question. As he said, this was discussed at Cabinet today. Approval was sought by me, and it was agreed by Cabinet that this would be presented for Second Stage. This will happen in the coming weeks. While there is no date set, I intend that this will be presented to the Dáil in coming weeks and published in the near future. The purpose of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2026 is to consolidate, with amendments, the existing provisions of the defence Acts 1954 and 2015 concerning the despatch of members of the Defence Forces for service outside the State. There are other elements to the legislation proposed today, specifically where we can give a mechanism to the Defence Forces so that somebody who has been convicted or put forward on charges can be relinquished from their duty for that time.”
“More broadly, it is about making sure that when people leave prison, there is step-down support in the community, so that they do not become like a revolving door, and that mental health supports are provided outside the prison, which includes the wider piece of work the prison task force has been doing on mental health in prisons over the past number of years. While it will take time, it is something we need to continue to focus on and prioritise. I can certainly raise this specific case directly with the Minister.”
“I am very to sorry to hear of this case and offer my condolences to his family. As the Deputy outlined, the Office of the Inspector of Prisons makes sure these types of cases and challenges in our prisons are highlighted and, most importantly, addressed. I can certainly raise the case directly with the Minister. The wider point is that we have too many people in our prison system with mental health problems who should not be in prison. I know from my time in the Department of justice, and having visited prisons and engaged with prisoners, those working in prisons, including prison officers, feel the same. Investment in our new facility in Portrane will open new spaces so that we have fewer people in our prisons.”
“The Deputy will appreciate that without knowing the details of the case as to why the man is not being released or sent home or another care facility I cannot comment. I am happy to take the details and pass them directly to the Minister.”
“We also need to invest further in our dementia-specific hubs and carers within our communities so that we can support people in the community. If the Deputy wants to pass on the specific details of the gentleman, I will be happy to pass them on to the Minister and ask her to contact the Deputy directly.”
“The one thing we can all hope for when we get older is that we have the supports we need and that we are treated with dignity and respect. To the Deputy's point, what this gentleman needs is to ensure he has a place outside of a hospital, in a home where he is cared for and supported. I have no doubt he is being cared for in the hospital and in the setting he is in now by the fantastic staff we have in our hospitals but I agree with the Deputy that we need to make sure we are investing more in our nursing homes that are dementia-specific and dementia-friendly. I have many of them in my own constituency and where it is specific to that particular need, it is transformative for the individuals who are there.”
“The introduction of AI means there is going to be a restructuring in companies like this. What we are trying to do - I mentioned this earlier - is focus on how we as a country and the EU as a whole can be more competitive. This means not only looking at other markets, but also embracing AI to see how new forms of jobs can come out of this as well. It is quite competitive and is one of our priorities; it is why we will be hosting an AI strategy summit in October of this year.”
“First, I acknowledge that a number of hundred people have lost their jobs this week. I have no doubt that it is a very difficult time for them and many of their families. I stress that our enterprise agencies, first and foremost, are trying to assist in whatever way they possibly can those who are impacted to help them to find alternative employment. This includes sharing the skills profiles of the employees who have been impacted to companies who may be hiring with multinationals in IDA client-based or indigenous companies throughout Enterprise Ireland. On top of that, IDA Ireland is in regular contact with the leadership, as is the Minister, to offer any support we can in this regard. We all know that this something that has been coming down the track for some time.”
“There is information that had to be provided but we should, hopefully, see a resolution and a recommendation from the Labour Court soon. While I do not have an exact date, I know there is a huge amount of effort being made to try and bring this to a conclusion as soon as possible.”
“I will start by fully agreeing with the Deputy. We all know that our secretaries and caretakers are at the very heart of our schools. They are the first people you meet on the grounds as you are walking in. The first person to welcome you is generally the secretary. They are absolutely invaluable in our schools. For me, and I think all of us, it is really important that a resolution is found to the ongoing dispute. The Department of Education and Youth has been engaging with Fórsa and the Department of public expenditure and reform for a number of months now. That was under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission. As the Deputy said, more recently, this has been referred to the Labour Court. My understanding is that the parties remain in this process.”
“While there is a need to respect its autonomy, we need to make sure we support such highly skilled, educated and trained people and professionals, who have been imparting their knowledge to students for years, to apply for competitions to fill vacancies in situ that they will be working closely with, or to examine what other opportunities may be available to them. I can relay the concerns the Deputy has raised directly to the Minister.”
“The over-riding priority needs to be two things, and I know the Deputy will agree with this. First, we need to ensure the students currently in the college can complete their studies. I have been given assurances that that will continue. The agreed approach is to support Carlow College in delivering the existing programmes through to their completion to August 2028. Second, as the Deputy rightly said, we have excellent people who have been working there for many years and we need to make sure they are supported. I know the Minister has been engaging directly with the college because of the fact that it is a private, autonomous institution outside of the publicly funded higher education system.”
“While the Deputy has outlined some of the details, I obviously do not know all of the facts of the case. I know that when it comes to teacher allocation, it is very much based on pupil numbers. Where you have such a small gap between what would allow the second teacher, there are always appeals that can take place. I know from experience that sometimes it is not fully understood how to put in the appeal because if your numbers are going to go up in the following year, if it is within a certain figure, you can retain the teacher. I ask the Deputy to engage with the school directly and to encourage it to look at the appeal process more broadly. I will bring to the attention of the Minister the other specific legacy post.”
“The building blocks extension grant scheme is currently operating to try to support extension of existing premises and, in the case of community operators, the purchase or construction of new buildings. In addition, earlier this year the Minister launched a new programme of investment in State-led early learning and childcare.”