Simon Harris
Wicklow · Fine Gael · Ireland
“There are more than 10,000 routes and thousands of buses involved and the number of students using the services is not a million miles away from 200,000. The current terms of the scheme are going to continue to apply for the 2026-27 school year.”
“I thank Deputy McDonald for raising what is genuinely an important issue. I do take the point that when we talk about this in the abstract or from a process point of view in here, that for people watching this is their real lived experience.”
“There number of children who have been supported by means of the school transport scheme, as Deputy Fitzmaurice knows and has alluded to, has grown significantly in recent years. Since 2018, the number increased from 120,000 in 2018 to more than 181,000 now. Included in that figure are 24,000 pupils with special educational needs.”
“I knew the Deputy would have to mention the GAA, especially with Galway and Limerick playing at the weekend. I wish everybody involved the best of luck. We are very committed to the school transport scheme. If the Deputy wants to see our commitment, he should look to our budget.”
“An ageing population, increasing healthcare needs, the transition to net zero and the need for continued investment in housing, energy and infrastructure will place a significant demand on public resources.”
“There is also a legitimacy to the point the Deputy made about how it is a legitimate form of transport for some people. We see this working in other European countries. We see it in our nearest neighbours. I do not want to get the regime wrong, but I think they have registration at the point of purchase that allows people to track this.”
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“Regarding the shadow fleet, I also remain concerned, as do European and international counterparts. As we continue to sanction Russia to get it to end its brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine, these sanctions need to capture the activities of the shadow fleet. What I would say, and say to those outside this House too, without commenting on important national security issues, is that we are obviously plugged to a range of structures in terms of information exchange and working with others on monitoring situations. We have our ships at sea and our Air Corps. We made a decision, as the Deputies know, to join an information exchange system this year, which is really important for exchanging information with European counterparts on what they might see in their sea heading in our direction and vice versa .”
“Deputy Smith has asked me an honest and fair question about whether I am satisfied we will be able to get to the establishment figure of 1,094. Perhaps I could extend the question on to LOA 2. I am satisfied we will be able to continue to increase the numbers and that we are on an upward trajectory. More interventions will be needed to have a step change. That is why I have asked the Chief of Staff to produce a workforce plan by the end of April, which I will then publish and share with Members. This will show how the Defence Forces believe we can get to the figure of LOA 2 by 2028, which is 11,500 people overall, broken down between the Air Corps, the Navy and the Army. It will identify the pinch points. Some might be on our side regarding policy and some may be on their side in terms of training capabilities.”
“I agree with much of what has been said. We need to invest more in our Naval Service and we are doing so. Crucially, we need to do things, namely, increase the number of people in the navy and we need to increase the capabilities and infrastructure of the Naval Service. Work is under way on both fronts. This year will see a significant increase in patrol days at sea on last year. It will see more people in the Naval Service this year than last year. This has already happened. It will see the highest increase in direct entry in five years. That is under way. With decisions made this year, in 2026 very important radar capabilities will be rolled out. A lot of good work is ongoing. I do not say that in relation to the Government but rather in relation to the work being done by the Defence Forces and I thank them.”
“I expect to also receive that this month. Once I bring that to Government I will be very happy to brief colleagues and engage with them on it.”
“Since taking up this role, I have learned very quickly that specialist recruitment for skills needed to get a ship to sea is very often the pinch point. As of 30 September, there have been 16 direct entry inductions into specialist roles in the Naval Service, which is the highest number in five years. Some challenges undoubtedly remain but significant progress is being made on a number of fronts. I thank those behind this work in the Naval Service. It is my intention to visit Haulbowline this month. Perhaps this is something we could arrange for the defence committee to do in the new year as well. It would give members the opportunity to engage directly with the Naval Service at the base in Haulbowline. I have also directed the Defence Forces and the Department of Defence to publish a joint plan on Naval Service regeneration and growth.”
“There has also been significant progress on pay with the most recent increase paid in August of this year. Recruitment is presently ongoing through a wide range of pathways, including general service recruitment, re-entry schemes and eight Naval Service-specific direct entry competitions. Applications for the Naval Service have been very strong this year - I met the commodore yesterday - with the total number of applications received as of 30 September being 2,357, which is 400 more than was received in all of last year when the total was 1,917. Recruitment to date for 2025 has been robust, with 150 inductions to the Naval Service as of 30 September. This is 80 more than the same period last year and 53 more than the total achieved for 2024. In addition, significant growth in specialist recruitment has been achieved.”
“Challenges in the recruitment and retention of personnel in the Naval Service are well-documented and a wide range of recruitment and retention initiatives have been introduced to address these. These include: an increase in the maximum recruitment age to 39 for those roles that had a recruitment age below that, and to 50 for direct-entry officer specialists; an increase in the mandatory retirement age to 62; a doubling of the Naval Service patrol duty allowance after ten days; the extension of the Naval Service tax credit for a further five years; the application of the working time directive across the Defence Forces in January of this year, subject to certain exemptions; and the extension of the provision of private secondary healthcare to all members of the Permanent Defence Forces.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 30 together. I am advised by the military authorities that the strength of the Naval Service, as of 30 September 2025, the latest date such figures are available, is 800 personnel. This is up from 719 personnel at the end of 2024. Let me be honest and say that the establishment strength is 1,094. We are below the establishment strength and we need to get to that number. The Naval Service currently has a fleet of eight vessels. Four of the vessels are regularly deployed on maritime defence and security operations. These four vessels consist of three P60 class vessels as well as the LÉ Aoibhinn, with all four vessels conducting patrols on a rotation basis. Any decision to deploy additional vessels on maritime defence and security operations is made by the military authorities.”
“I always make the point of paying tribute to the men and women who serve with such distinction in Lebanon and other parts of the world but also the families who sacrifice a huge amount always but particularly at important moments like Christmas where there is an empty chair at home. That is why it was important that we took the decision to establish a new office of veteran affairs this week because we owe a duty to those who have served with distinction, not just while they are wearing the uniform but in the aftermath of that too.”
“I fully agree with the Deputy and thank him for saying that. I was in Custume Barracks last Friday for the review of the 127th battalion, which is being deployed this month. I have done many of these but I was very struck by exactly what the Deputy said - the youth. I met a young 19-year-old man who will be the youngest person deployed. I was also struck by the man I met with his ten-month-old baby and his partner. He will be away for that child's first birthday and for Christmas. This is the sacrifice the men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann pay and their families pay. It is also fascinating when talking to them that so many have a family tradition. I meet the young man or woman and I meet the grandfather as well; it is that level of service.”
“What actions are taken, what do Wicklow County Council and Wexford County Council do, and how is that co-ordinated? That is the next piece. Good work is going on on that. Every county is meant to have its own plan but that is important. Satellite facilities are very important. We saw how dependent we have become on that. With regard to a security review, there is the Office of Emergency Planning which has funding from the European Commission and support from specialists in the World Bank to conduct a comprehensive review of Ireland's emergency management approach and this is expected to be concluded by the end of the year.”
“I agree that what worked well during a very difficult storm was the investment in community. We saw it in our own counties and constituencies where there had been investment in sports facilities, community facilities and vehicles. The ability of those local assets to be deployed and put to use stood up very well. I noticed, as would the Deputy, how many GAA centres, changing room facilities and all that were put to use. What is absolutely needed is national leadership and co-ordination and I do not shirk this at all. During these events, we become so reliant on the local community response. I made this point recently in government and I will make it again today that it is very important that as well as the national plan that we see county-by-county plans. What happens if a council hears a bad storm is going to hit Wicklow or Wexford?”
“In the context of recent weather events, the supports provided by the Defence Forces included: the provision of helicopter flights carrying ESB personnel in order to identify the extent of damage to the affected network; the collection and distribution of generators from Dublin Airport to sectors that had been worst affected; and the making ready of accommodation for ESB crews involved in restoration works with the network if needed. The Defence Forces continues to stand ready to assist in all emergency scenarios as part of a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach at both a national and local level.”
“The report highlights the necessary response actions taken by the National Emergency Coordination Group and details recommendations considered necessary to try to build on the strengths of the existing co-ordination structures, while also acknowledging the need for continuous improvement with a specific emphasis on community support measures and strengthening the resilience of our critical infrastructure. Turning to the role of the Defence Forces, as the Deputy will be aware, they are not the first responders in either the preparedness or the recovery phases of events. Their role, when called upon, is to assist civilian authorities in dealing with the various challenges that can be present.”
“I chair the Government task force on emergency planning and I have made it very clear that lessons identified from recent events are to be incorporated into future planning and resilience to minimise the impacts of climate-related emergencies on our communities. To this end, the Department of housing has completed what it calls the lessons learned process following Storm Éowyn. My colleague, the Minister for housing, Deputy Browne, published the lessons learned report on Storm Éowyn last month.”
“I thank the Deputy for the question, which is important and timely. It was an issue many of us in this House as constituency TDs were grappling with in trying to support our communities in the run-up to and the aftermath of the horrific Storm Éowyn, which had a devastating effect on many parts of the country, most particularly perhaps the west and north-west. As the Deputy knows, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne, and his Department are the lead Department for preparing and responding to severe weather events but the Office of Emergency Planning, under my Department, assists and provides support to the lead Departments during emergency events.”
“I agree with that and I am satisfied the chain of command is quite clear. It is an appropriate thing for me to provide the Oireachtas or the Minister for justice with a written clarity on that and I am very happy to do so.”
“Regarding command control and who the structures within the Defence Forces are to answer to, it is the normal military chain of command. At political level, we have also recently established a national security ministerial council, which I am a member of and the Taoiseach obviously chairs, as well as the Minister for justice. That enables us to bring things together at political and Government level. I know I am over time but the Deputy asked previously, we have assigned 19 Defence Forces specialist posts to the joint cyber defence command to start this and we are also currently seeking to recruit ten civilian cyber specialists.”
“It is a good question. Let me get a detailed note to the Deputy to fully set it out because there have been changes to this area. The decision to relocate the National Cyber Security Centre to the Department of justice is a good one. It is something I have advocated for for quite a while. There are very good people in it but I never felt it was an appropriate fit in the Department of communications because security is always an issue led by the Department of justice. The idea that some element of security would be led by a Department other than the Department of justice or Defence did not make much sense to me. The Department and Minister for justice lead on cybersecurity and national security; that is clear. Obviously, the Defence Forces and the Garda have specific roles and they feed into the National Cyber Security Centre.”
“To ensure the new unit has the appropriate support infrastructure, my Department approved the development of a dedicated IT operations and cybersecurity block in McKee Barracks through the refurbishment of an existing building. McKee was chosen as the location to consolidate a number of current operations and provide the necessary high-end infrastructure requirements to support future operations in the cyber domain. The project is at design stage. The design team was appointed in June. The project will cost around €1.9 million. It is proposed to procure a construction contract by way of a restricted tender competition. This facility will provide for the increasing recruitment needs in terms of space of the joint cyber defence command.”
“I am satisfied that from a defence perspective we are now on a positive trajectory to ensure that this new cyber defence command unit is well positioned. We published the high-level action plan in relation to the Commission on the Defence Forces. This included recommendations to create a joint cyber defence command that should manage Defence Forces IT services, CIS and cyber defence. It recommended that we update and publish the cyber defence strategy in line with best international practice and that we provide for additional specialist personnel at part of a joint cyber defence command managing cyber defence, defence IT services and CIS. All actions have been progressed. We now need to build on that in the time ahead.”
“A Defence Forces cyber defence strategy 2024 to 2027 was published last year. This strategy sets out a comprehensive roadmap to ensure that our Defence Forces achieve operational capability in the new domain. To give effect to this strategy, Defence Forces specialists have been assigned to the operation of this unit. I very recently approved a new Defence Forces officer to that role at the higher rank of brigadier general level. In addition, my Department engaged with the Public Appointments Service to recruit civilian cyber specialists to embed them in the joint cyber defence command. It is intended that such posts will be filled as soon as possible. We are funded to fill them; we are just going through the recruitment process.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 174 together. As recognised in the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces and accepted by the Government, the Defence Forces need to be capable of delivering military effects across the cyber domain. To this end, my Department published a high-level action plan for the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. This included recommendations relating to the Defence Forces' cyber defence functions. As a result, the Defence Forces have established a joint cyber defence command. This command will be able to conduct full-spectrum cyberspace operations to robustly defend against cyber threats, support Defence Forces operations at home and overseas and enhance our national cyber defence resilience and contingent capabilities.”
“RACO is limited in law to representing officers of the Permanent Defence Force and chaplains are not classified as officers so they cannot be represented. That is the legal issue and where we have to fix it. I am clear that we need to work together on it. I have asked for proposals from my officials within the next few weeks and then we will work out the quickest way of bringing forward and changing any legislation that may be required.”
“I agree entirely with the policy principle and I will work with the Deputy and everyone in this House to fix it. I am very clear on that. To flag some information that may be of use to the House, we probably will need to change legislation but we are legislators and there is no reason we cannot do that. At the moment, chaplains are free to join almost any union or representative association of their choice - the Deputy mentioned one example - with the current exception of the military representative associations, RACO and PDFORRA, hence the problem. The law applicable to representative associations is outlined in the Defence (Amendment) Act 1990. Section 1 of the Act defines a member in this context as "an officer, non-commissioned officer, private or seaman of the Defence Forces".”
“With regard to chaplains and their representation, I have asked for proposals to address this urgently. I said this at the RACO conference in Mullingar in recent weeks, where it was one of the issues highlighted. This needs to be resolved. I intend to resolve it once I have received proposals from my officials in the next few weeks. I am happy to engage with the Deputy.”
“I am in no doubt about the importance of their work in providing pastoral care and maintaining the morale of members of the Permanent Defence Force, most particularly when they can be under difficult or testing conditions while serving abroad. The contributions and sacrifices made by Defence Forces chaplains over the years are widely recognised and appreciated by the Defence Forces, my Department, the Government and the people of this country. Chaplains are not subject to military law, other than when accompanying members of the Defence Forces on active service. Chaplains are responsible for the pastoral care of members of the Defence Forces. Up until now, they have been appointed to a military installation by their bishop or religious superior after consultation with the head chaplain and following approval by the Minister for Defence.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 69 together. I join Deputy Ó Laoghaire in paying tribute to Fr. Paul Murphy. I have had the honour of meeting him on a number of occasions. He is currently serving in and possibly about to return shortly from Lebanon, where he has gone with our troops, which underscores the Deputy's point about the distinction with which our chaplains serve. Fr. Paul showed huge bravery and courage that night. I recall talking to him in the aftermath of that horrific attack. I was really taken by his absolute Christianity and humanity. He is quite an incredible person. The Deputy's point is entirely right. Without wanting to shock him, this is one I fully agree with him on. I acknowledge the excellent work undertaken by our chaplains.”
“I believe from a European Union point of view, and this will be Ireland's position, we need to continue to apply economic sanction on Russia to get Putin to change his nexus or his calculus in relation to his illegal aggression. Therefore, it is about continuing to work at a European level to try to maintain that European unity and solidarity in relation to Ukraine. Then, if we get to a point of peace, obviously, Ireland will be wanting to participate in conversations about how we can play a constructive role. However, I think the big challenge, if the war has not ended by then, is going to be to try to bring about peace and be a strong voice in terms of ending the conflict and using the levers at the EU's disposal to maximise that pressure.”
“Certainly, when we hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of next year, our priority from a foreign affairs point of view in relation to Ukraine will be to work very closely with the European Union and with international engagement processes, including with the United States. I intend to work very closely with Ms Kaja Kallas, our EU High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, in trying to bring peace to this horrific conflict. The Deputy is quite right that there is a huge amount of talk and effort put into trying to bring about peace. Unfortunately, that all looks somewhat like folly when we see Putin showing no interest in peace.”
“On Ukraine, the Deputy is right that Ireland can only partake in peacekeeping missions if they are mandated by the UN. We will not recuse ourselves from that conversation. One would imagine if there was to be peace that was agreed, perhaps that would be possible but I do not know. In the meantime, however, we are continuing to engage with the EU military assistance mission, EUMAM, initiative where we have been providing training to several hundred members of the Ukrainian defence forces.”
“On the Naval Service, I am pleased to say I look forward to visiting Cork later this month and, hopefully, visiting Haulbowline with the Deputy. The latest figures available to me are that personnel in our Naval Service stood at 800 at the end of September, which is up from 719 at the end of last year. I am also pleased to say that at the end of September, we had received 2,357 applications for the Naval Service, which is an increase of more than 400 on what we received in the totality of last year. There is a big body of work to do, which I do not dispute in any way, in terms of our Naval Service. I have instructed the Defence Forces to provide me with a regeneration and growth plan for our Naval Service. It is encouraging to see those numbers in terms of recruitment, retention and applications into the Naval Service this year.”
“It is essential, therefore, that Ireland remains fully engaged in all processes and contributes fully to the development of policy in order that we can influence its evolution and that our Defence Forces can continue to benefit from this engagement. Our participation in EU defence initiatives will continue to be guided by a principles-based pragmatism, ensuring that any co-operation respects our sovereign decision-making and legal obligations and will be on a strictly voluntary, project-specific basis.”
“It is the prerogative of member states to make arrangements which serve their own national defence needs, which, in Ireland's case, is our policy of military neutrality, as characterised by our non-membership of military alliances and our non-participation in mutual defence arrangements. Holding the Presidency obviously will not change that policy. Let me be clear, however, the Government remains committed to broadening and deepening our international security engagement as well as our domestic efforts to ensure the security of our country and to allow Ireland to contribute to efforts towards ensuring international peace and security. We are a strong proponent in this country of the important role the EU can play in support of international peace and security.”
“Our Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2026 is going to be a major national undertaking. It is a key focus for the work of Government because Ireland will have an opportunity to shape and manage the EU’s agenda for that six-month period. Within the European Union, it is accepted that security and defence is a national competence and that any decisions as regards EU defence arrangements, including any deepening of EU co-operation, does require unanimity. It is within this context that Ireland will balance our policy of military neutrality while holding the Presidency.”
“I thank Deputy Burke very much for the question. It is really timely. The first thing I want to say is that Ireland is never going to recuse itself from conversations around defence and security because conversations around defence and security, as the Deputy rightly knows and advocates for, are not the same as conversations about changing Ireland's military neutrality, which we have no intention of doing. When I sit around tables at Europe, there are a number of other countries - not a majority; far from it - that are also militarily neutral. A country can be militarily neutral and take military and defence seriously. In fact, I would argue that there is a greater obligation on you to take the defence and security of your own country and people seriously when it is not militarily aligned as part of any military organisation or alignment.”
“I thank the Deputy for his work on this and for his advocacy and the time he is putting into it. The Government largely agrees with his position on this. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, leads for the Government in terms of the private wires legislation. I will ask that he keep in close contact with the Deputy in relation to this. The Deputy is right, however. I have been briefed on this and I, too, am convinced that this assists in relation to housing, energy costs and our ability to attract investment into Ireland. At a time when energy, energy security and energy supply is under such pressure - not just here but across the European Union - we need to be innovative, flexible and able to work in a number of different directions to try to get to where we need to get to.”
“I ran out of time the last time but I did want to say that we have just announced the signing of a multimillion euro contract with Thales DMS for the provision of towed sonar capability for the Defence Forces. That, too, is going to make a big difference in terms of our security because the new sonar capability will now be used on Irish naval vessels to monitor activities in the Irish exclusive economic zone, in particular in the vicinity of our subsea communication cables or our gas pipelines. As I said in response to an earlier question, work is also ongoing on the development of radar capability. I will keep the Deputy up to date.”
“I thank Deputy Heneghan for reminding us of the forthcoming anniversary of Senator Lawless, a man I had the honour and privilege of knowing and serving with in these Houses. He was a man that my predecessor, Enda Kenny, was honoured to appoint to Seanad Éireann. He served with distinction in the Seanad but he also served with distinction beyond the Seanad, both as an incredible businessman and an incredible advocate for Irish people in America, most particularly in Chicago. I know he had very close links with the Obama Administration. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis. We think of him and his family and the Deputy's member of staff at this time. The point the Deputy makes is right and I will ask my defence advisers to give further consideration to that.”
“Challenges with putting ships to sea have been well documented and were discussed in the House earlier. This year, we are seeing the benefits of a number of initiatives I have overseen, such as the patrol duty allowance, with the number of patrol days to date having exceeded the total number of patrol days completed in 2024. We have already seen more ships at sea for more days at sea this year than we did over the whole of last year. The Naval Service continues to maintain a constant presence in the Irish EEZ. Earlier this year, I approved the Defence Forces' participation in the common information sharing environment, CISE. This will support better monitoring and surveillance of growing threats at sea and will help improve the Defence Forces maritime domain awareness. In other words, we exchange information with other European countries.”
“Additional staff have been approved to resource cyber command in achieving its initial operational capacity. Turning specifically to the offshore infrastructure to which the Deputy referred, my officials continue to engage with the Departments of Climate, Energy and the Environment and communications on the protection of Ireland’s offshore infrastructure. The Defence Forces routinely carry out monitoring and surveillance of Ireland’s exclusive economic zone, EEZ, using our Naval Service assets and Air Corps maritime patrol aircraft. In addition to at-sea monitoring, the naval operations command centre in Haulbowline carries out remote monitoring 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I look forward to visiting it this month to be further briefed and view its work.”
“I thank Deputy Heneghan for continually raising this matter since his election to the House. My colleague the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has the lead role for cyber security and the Department receives inputs in the security domain from An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces. The National Cyber Security Centre, which, as is appropriate, is now part of that Department, is the authority responsible for cybersecurity in the State, including incident response, cyber resilience and information provision. To develop this cyber defence capability, the Defence Forces have established a joint cyber defence command. This new command will be capable of conducting the full spectrum of cyber defence operations at home and overseas, to enhance national cyber defence resilience and contingent capabilities.”
“I am not referring to myths put forward by anybody here, but recruit pay in the Defence Forces on completion of training, which takes around 24 weeks, now starts at €41,880. A school-leaver cadet on commissioning starts at just over €45,000, rising to over €51,000 after two years. Where a graduate joins, the pay rate on commission begins at over €51,000. Challenges undoubtedly remain, but we are now seeing a record level of expenditure and pay because the personnel in Oglaigh na hÉireann are our best assets.”
“I am very open to the idea of a specialist pay review. I said that to the Deputy on a previous occasion. We will examine that in the context of the next national pay agreement, along with the workforce plan. The Deputy put forward a set of challenges as to why people sometimes leave parts of the public service. I put forward a different set of reasons. I referred to full employment, a vibrant private sector and foreign direct investment, which provide a huge opportunity for people with skills to work in a variety of different areas. On the broader issue of pay, we cannot say it enough to people considering joining the Defence Forces that we should debunk some of the myths.”
“The application of the provisions of the working time directive, subject to certain exemptions, has been a very welcome development. We have brought about increases to the patrol duty allowance payable to Naval Service personnel. We have extended the Naval Service tax credit for a further five years. We have extended the service commitment scheme for pilots in the Air Corps to air traffic control personnel. We have engaged external expertise to support recruitment into the Naval Service. We have introduced a professional structure payment allowance. We have seen a significant-----”
“By the end of April, the Defence Forces will have submitted to me, and I will publish, a workforce plan that shows how we get to where we need to be in terms of personnel by 2028. That will require a number of pinch points to be addressed. We are now seeing real interest in joining the Defence Forces. We can all take a sense of encouragement from the fact that people want to wear the uniform of Óglaigh na hÉireann and the numbers this year will be up on last year because more people are seeking to join and fewer people are seeking to leave the Defence forces this year than last. We still need a step change, and I fully accept that. We have introduced a range of measures. We have increased the maximum age of recruitment and the age of retirement. We have extended private secondary healthcare to all personnel.”
“We have tried to introduce a range of measures to support and bolster Defence Forces recruitment, and perhaps I can come back on them in a moment.”
“In order to meet Government targets, the Defence Forces are making concerted efforts to ramp up recruitment. Last year, for the first time in a long time, there was a stabilisation in numbers, with 708 inductions to the Permanent Defence Force and discharges of 674. That was the first year for a long time there was a net increase, albeit small, in personnel. I am pleased to say that signs for the year to date give cause for further positivity - I was briefed on this by the Chief of Staff yesterday. Application numbers already exceed the total for last year and discharges are significantly fewer than this time last year. There are many more people applying and fewer people seeking to be discharged.”
“On the broad issue of recruitment and the impact of recruitment and numbers for the security and defence of the country, our programme for Government sets out a number of commitments relating to national security as well as priorities for recruitment and retention in the Defence Forces. In this regard, the previous Government approved a move to a Permanent Defence Force capability equivalent to level of ambition 2, which requires us to get to an establishment figure of 11,500, including a civilian component, by 2028. To support this and the implementation of related measures, the recent budget provided a record allocation of €1.49 billion for the defence sector, an increase of €145 million on 2025. These funds include, among other things, a provision for the recruitment of a net 400 additional Permanent Defence Force members per annum.”
“The first thing I will say, and I know we will all join in this, is that debates about triple locks and all that are terribly important but in the here and now there are men and women being deployed overseas. I had the honour of reviewing the 127th battalion that is heading out as part of the UNIFIL mission to southern Lebanon imminently, this month. We thank the 362 men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann for that. I make that point because we get to talk about things in the abstract here. These are 362 men and women who are going to contribute to our very long, decades-old peacekeeping involvement in southern Lebanon.”