Seán Ó Fearghaíl
Question:345. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Defence the number of additional recruits the Defence Forces have recruited in 2015 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29879/15]
View answerDefence Forces Records
Questions (345)
Written answers
The Government is committed to maintaining the stabilised strength of the Permanent Defence Force at 9,500 personnel. As the Permanent Defence Force is currently below the agreed stabilised strength of 9,500, targeted recruitment has taken place from the panels formed from the current General Service recruitment competition, launched in March 2014. I am informed by the Military Authorities that further recruitment to the Permanent Defence Force will commence later this month, drawing on the remaining successful candidates from the 2014 recruitment competition. In addition, a recruitment competition for General Service Recruits for the Naval Service was launched on 6 March 2015. The selection process for this competition is progressing and it is planned to recruit 40 personnel from this panel in September 2015 and a further 40 from the same panel in December 2015.
I am further informed that preparations are under way for the 2015 General Service recruitment competition which will be launched this summer. The induction of successful candidates from this competition is expected to commence in November 2015. Once the training of these recruits is completed they will be posted throughout the country to fill vacancies that exist within the Permanent Defence Force.
The 2015 Cadetship competition for Army, Equitation School, Air Corp and Naval Service (Operations Branch, Electrical Engineering Branch and Marine Engineering Branch) was launched on 10 April 2015. The selection process for this competition is also progressing and induction is scheduled to take place in September 2015. It is planned to induct 56 Cadets from this competition.
Direct Entry competitions are held as required from which specialists appointments are filled. To date in 2015, the following targeted recruitment has taken place or is progressing through current competitions:
1. Five Naval Service Engine Room Artificers were inducted into the Naval Service in June 2015.
2. A competition to appoint Medical Officers remains open and applications are being accepted on an ongoing basis.
3. A recruitment campaign for Instrumentalists in the Defence Forces School of Music was launched on 02 April 2015 and is ongoing.
4. A competition to appoint a Conductor in the Defence Forces School of Music was launched on 05 June 2015 and is ongoing.
5. A recruitment campaign to enlist 25 Air Corps Apprentice Air Craft Technicians was launched on 06 February 2015 and is ongoing.
A recruitment campaign for the Reserve Defence Force which began in October 2014 is ongoing, with 215 new recruits enlisted to date.
With the support of the Chief of Staff and within the resources available, I intend to retain the capacity of the Defence Forces to operate effectively across all roles and to undertake the tasks laid down by Government both at home and overseas.
Defence Forces Operations
Questions (346)
Seán Ó Fearghaíl
Question:346. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Defence if he will provide, in tabular form by county, a break-down of the number of suspect devices that the Army disposal unit has dealt with in 2015 to date. [29880/15]
View answerWritten answers
Primary responsibility for the maintenance of law and order rests with An Garda Síochána. The Defence Forces, pursuant to their role of rendering Aid to the Civil Power, assist An Garda Síochána when requested to do so.
The Defence Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams respond when a request for assistance is made by An Garda Síochána in dealing with a suspect device. Following post operation analysis these call-outs are then categorised and this would include viable devices, hoaxes, false alarms, post-blast analysis and the removal of unstable chemicals in laboratories. The numbers of EOD call outs and the numbers of viable devices dealt with up to 14 July 2015, by county, are set out in the tabular statement.
|
County |
Total |
Viable Devices |
|
Cork |
7 |
2 |
|
Donegal |
3 |
1 |
|
Dublin |
27 |
5 |
|
Galway |
6 |
0 |
|
Kildare |
2 |
1 |
|
Kilkenny |
1 |
0 |
|
Laois |
1 |
0 |
|
Leitrim |
3 |
4 |
|
Limerick |
5 |
3 |
|
Longford |
2 |
1 |
|
Louth |
6 |
1 |
|
Meath |
3 |
0 |
|
Monaghan |
1 |
0 |
|
Offaly |
1 |
1 |
|
Sligo |
1 |
1 |
|
Tipperary |
1 |
0 |
|
Waterford |
2 |
0 |
|
Westmeath |
2 |
1 |
|
Wexford |
5 |
1 |
|
Wicklow |
6 |
0 |
|
Total |
85 |
22 |
Departmental Expenditure
Questions (347)
Martin Heydon
Question:347. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Defence the amount of investment from capital spending his Department has made in County Kildare since 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29911/15]
View answerWritten answers
The Department is engaged in an ongoing capital building programme designed to modernise and enhance the training, operational and accommodation facilities available to members of the Defence Forces. The capital building programme focuses mainly on infrastructural projects comprising the construction of new buildings and the refurbishment of existing buildings and facilities. From 2011 to date approximately €5 million has been spent on capital projects in the Curragh Camp.
Departmental Expenditure
Questions (348)
Dara Calleary
Question:348. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Defence if he will provide a detailed cost break-down and a flight itinerary, including cost per hour, for the Government jet, of all costs associated with a trip (details supplied) including a list of all who were part of the delegation; if other Departments are contributing to the costs of the trip; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29978/15]
View answerWritten answers
The delegation, which recently visited L.É. Eithne in Valletta, Malta, consisted of Mr. Simon Coveney T.D., Minister for Defence, Ms Frances Fitzgerald T.D., Minister for Justice and Equality, Mr. Sean Sherlock T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Maurice Quinn, Secretary General, Department of Defence, Lieutenant General Conor O’Boyle, Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces and Ms. Marion Mannion, Special Adviser to Minister Fitzgerald.
The total duration of the flight on the Government Jet was 8 hours 45 minutes. The Department of Defence follows the normal practice in the aviation business of costing aircraft by reference to the cost per flying hour under each of two headings:
(a) The variable cost, which comprises costs incurred only when the aircraft is flown including maintenance, fuel and support services; and (b) The total cost, which comprises the variable cost plus the fixed cost associated with having the aircraft. The latter comprises personnel costs and depreciation.
The current average variable cost per hour for the Learjet 45 is €2,570.
The current average total cost per hour is €4,940.
Final costs in relation to all other aspects of this visit are not yet available but it is agreed that each Department would be responsible for their own costs.
Departmental Advertising Expenditure
Questions (349)
Denis Naughten
Question:349. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Defence the total cost of public advertising, statutory and non-statutory, funded by his Department in 2013 and 2014; the corresponding figure for agencies under the control of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30022/15]
View answerWritten answers
Details of expenditure on advertising by my Department and the Defence Forces in 2013 and 2014 are set out in the following table.
|
Year |
Amount |
|
2013 |
€185,606 |
|
2014 |
€169,005 |
This expenditure includes the costs of newspaper/magazine advertisements on Defence Forces recruitment; public information notices such as property transactions; warning notices in respect of military training exercises; and advertising of military commemorative events such as the Centenary of the Foundation of the Irish Volunteers and the Easter Sunday 1916 Commemoration. The figures also include the costs of a seven day national and regional radio advertising campaign to promote the Government “Be Winter Ready” information campaigns in each year.
Departmental Expenditure
Questions (350)
Denis Naughten
Question:350. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Defence the cost in 2013 and 2014 of printing reports by his Department and agencies under the control of his Department; the corresponding figure for annual reports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30037/15]
View answerWritten answers
My Department incurred no external printing costs for 2013 and 2014. The in-house facilities of the Defence Forces Printing Press were used to print all Departmental and Defence Forces Reports during this period.
The costs incurred by the Defence Forces Printing Press in printing reports in 2013 and 2014 are set out in the following table.
|
2013 |
2014 |
|
|
Annual Reports |
€335.75 |
€352.80 |
|
Other |
€468.72 |
€76.86 |
Departmental Expenditure
Questions (351)
Denis Naughten
Question:351. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Defence the cost in 2013 and 2014 of issuing hard copy payslips to staff or retired staff by his Department and agencies under the control of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30052/15]
View answerWritten answers
The cost of issuing hard copy payslips to staff or retired staff by my Department and agencies under the control of my Department in 2013 and 2014 was €147,326 and €153,958 respectively.
Departmental Expenditure
Questions (352)
Lucinda Creighton
Question:352. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Defence if he will outline and itemise all expenditure undertaken by his Department on private travel for his and for his private office, on legal fees, on consultancy fees and on hotel accommodation, during the 12-month period to 30 June 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30067/15]
View answerWritten answers
The Department of Defence does not fund my private travel or the private travel of my staff. The hotel accommodation costs arising from my official engagements are set out as follows.
|
Minister Coveney |
Private Office Staff |
Reason |
|
|
2014 |
€160.00 €739.05 |
€160.00 €739.05 |
EU Defence Ministers Formal Meeting in Brussels November 2014 Trip to Lebanon in December 2014 |
|
2015 |
€318.59 |
€318.59 |
United Nations Peacekeeping Summit, New York September 2014. |
It has not been possible in the time available to compile all the necessary information in regard to Legal Fees and Consultancy Fees as requested by the Deputy. This information will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Appointments to State Boards
Questions (353)
Lucinda Creighton
Question:353. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Defence if he is responsible for all board appointments where such power to appoint persons to State boards is vested in him by statute; if any politically appointed State employee outside of his Department is involved in decision-making concerning such appointments, in particular, if, during the lifetime of the Government, a named person (details supplied) has had any influence over any appointments made by him; if he or officials from his Department have corresponded with that person regarding the composition of and appointments to State boards to which he has statutory power to make appointments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30107/15]
View answerWritten answers
The only body under the aegis of my Department is the Army Pensions Board. The Army Pensions Board is an independent statutory body established under the Army Pensions Act 1927. The Act specifies that the Board shall consist of a chairman and two ordinary members. The two ordinary members must be qualified medical practitioners of whom one must be an officer of the Army Medical Corps. The chairman and the non-military ordinary member are appointed by the Minister for Defence with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The Army Medical Corps ordinary member is appointed by the Minister for Defence on the recommendation of the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces. There have been three appointments to the Army Pensions Board since March 2011. Commandant Adam Lagun was appointed to the position of Army Medical Corps member of the Board in December 2011. This position became vacant in October 2014 due his deployment overseas. On the recommendation of the Chief of Staff a temporary appointment to the Board was made to cover the absence period of October 2014 to May 2015. Commandant Lagun resumed as ordinary member of the Board in June 2015. As the Army Pensions Act 1927 specifies that one of the ordinary members must be an officer of the Army Medical Corps, the positions were not publicly advertised on either occasion. Details of these appointments to the Army Pensions Board were published in the Iris Oifigiúil on 13 January 2012 and 4 November 2014 respectively.
A civilian doctor was appointed as ordinary member of the Army Pensions Board in November 2013. The civilian doctor vacancy was advertised on the Department of Defence website and the Public Appointments Service website. A number of expressions of interest in the position were received and an appointment to the Board was made on foot of this process.
No politically-appointed State employee outside of this Department, including the named person, was involved in decision-making of the above appointments or had any influence over any board appointments.
Departmental Funding
Questions (354)
Denis Naughten
Question:354. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Defence the current and capital funding allocated to his Department; the underspend or overspend in 2015 to date under each category based on his Department's spending profile; the funding made available within and external to his Department's functions to support innovation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30122/15]
View answerWritten answers
The gross current and capital funding allocation for my Department for 2015 and the expenditure position at the end of June is set out as follows.
|
Defence (Vote 36) |
2 Allocation |
Profile to June |
Expenditure to June |
Overspend/(Underspend) |
|
Current |
€610.9m |
€279.5m |
€266.6m |
(€12.9m) |
|
Capital |
€66.4m |
€43.0m |
€39.8m |
(€3.2m) |
|
Total |
€677.3m |
€322.5m |
€306.4m |
(€16.1m) |
|
Army Pensions (Vote 35) |
Allocation |
Profile to June |
Expenditure to June |
Overspend/(Underspend) |
|
Current |
€221.0 m |
€110.9m |
€113.4m |
€2.5m |
|
Capital |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Total |
€221.0 m |
€110.9m |
€113.4m |
€2.5m |
Expenditure at the end of June is below profile on the Defence Vote and ahead of profile on the Army Pensions Vote. It is projected that expenditure for the year will be broadly in line with the overall allocation.
While my Department does not have specific funding set aside to support innovation, the Defence Organisation, in conjunction with Enterprise Ireland, engages with Irish based enterprise and research institutes that are involved in activities related to Defence Forces capability development. The primary objective of this initiative is to support Defence Forces capability development for crisis management through the application of new and innovative technology and research. The application of such technology and research in the defence domain also supports innovation, growth and jobs in Irish industry, particularly for companies and institutions operating in the security and defence (dual-use) sector.
Departmental Expenditure
Questions (355)
Denis Naughten
Question:355. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Defence if his Department or agencies under the authority of his Department have performed an assessment of the potential savings to be accrued, if current paper-based application processes by members of the public were replaced with a fully online application system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30137/15]
View answerWritten answers
My Department does not provide services to external ‘customers’ in the classic sense. For example, there are no public offices or public counters where the public can request services on demand. There are a small number of paper based applications processes operated by the Department. These would include applications for disability pensions, applications for Medal certificates/posthumous medals for War of Independence and sheep branding applications. Given that the level of applications received annually is relatively low the Department is satisfied that the current paper based process is the most practical in terms of the administration of these processes.
Departmental Reports
Questions (356)
Billy Kelleher
Question:356. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Defence when his Department's annual report for 2014 will be published. [30210/15]
View answerWritten answers
The Department of Defence and Defence Forces Annual Report for 2014 is nearing completion and I anticipate that it will be published in September.
Defence Forces Deployment
Questions (357)
Brendan Smith
Question:357. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Defence his plans to increase the number of Permanent Defence Force members assigned to the general Border region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30353/15]
View answerWritten answers
I am informed by the military authorities that it is not possible to provide the information sought by the Deputy in the time available. I shall provide the information directly to the Deputy once it comes to hand.
Alcohol Sales Legislation
Questions (358)
Terence Flanagan
Question:358. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to review the licensing laws, around the selling of alcohol and having supermarkets selling same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29948/15]
View answerWritten answers
The position is that the Government Legislation Programme published on 14 January provides for future publication of the Sale of Alcohol Bill. This Bill will update the law relating to the sale, supply and consumption of alcohol in licensed premised and registered clubs. It will repeal the Licensing Acts 1833 to 2011, as well as the Registration of Clubs Acts 1904 to 2008, and replace them with streamlined and updated provisions.
As far as the sale of alcohol in mixed trading outlets such as supermarkets and convenience stores is concerned, the position is that I, together with my colleague the Minister for Health, have jointly reviewed, in the context of the forthcoming Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, matters relating to structural separation of alcohol products from other products in such outlets, including appropriate future enforcement mechanisms. It is expected that proposals in relation to this matter will be submitted to Government in the Autumn.
Departmental Strategies
Questions (359)
Terence Flanagan
Question:359. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality her Department's priorities for the remainder of this Dáil; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29589/15]
View answerWritten answers
The commitments and priorities set by Government form the main priorities for the work of my Department for the remainder of this Government's term of office. My Department's Statement of Strategy published in April last also provides an overview of priorities for the period 2015-2018 inclusive. Completing delivery of the comprehensive Reform Programme aimed at enhancing the administration and oversight of policing is a key priority. Much of this has been achieved, including the enactment of the Garda Síochána (Amendment) (No 3) Bill 2014 enhancing the powers of GSOC, and the introduction of the Bill to establish the Policing Authority, the Garda Síochána (Policing Authority and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2015, which was recently passed by the Seanad. It is my intention that this legislation will be enacted as quickly as possible and I look forward to debating it with Deputies.
Other priorities include introducing the necessary legislation to amend the Constitution following the referendum on marriage equality; progressing the recommendations of the Working Group on the Protection Process, and advancing the International Protection Bill to introduce a single protection procedure thus reducing the length of time applicants spend in the Direct Provision System; implementing new rules for student migration and for colleges operating in the Sector; taking further steps to ensure that all State boards have at least 40% of each gender; continued implementation of the Government’s reforms around personal insolvency; supporting implementation of the Fines Act 2014; publication of a reformed and consolidated Domestic Violence Bill and completing the review of judicial appointments. I also hope to introduce the Prisons Bill, which will facilitate the complete closing of St Patrick's Institution and to secure Government approval in the very near future for the General Scheme of a Bail Bill to modernise and improve the law on bail.
I also hope to implement a number of the key recommendations of the Penal Policy Review Group; to progress, jointly with the United Kingdom Home Office, the worldwide rollout of the British Irish Visa Scheme and complete the Legal Services Regulation Bill. As regards criminal law, the priorities include strengthening the law on corruption and sexual offences (including grooming) as well as implementing the EU Directive on Victims following the recent publication of the heads of the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Bill. My Department is also developing a new strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence for 2015 onwards. I am committed to ensuring that the Charities Regulation Authority is in a position to fulfil its important mandate in the charities sector.
Burglary is a persistent and highly damaging crime. I am committed to tackling it on a number of fronts, including through a focus on interagency measures in relation to the management of prolific offenders, visible policing, crime prevention support for communities, and an examination of legislative issues and through a partnership approach between criminal justice agencies and the community. I hope to publish the Criminal Justice (Burglary of Dwellings) Bill very shortly. This Bill will address issues in relation to bail and sentencing for prolific burglars. I am also taking forward the recommendations of the 2014 Garda Inspectorate Report on Crime Investigation, including crime statistics, and its report on the Fixed Charge Processing System. I expect to receive the review of An Garda Síochána under the Haddington Road Agreement.
The resumption of Garda recruitment will make an important contribution, not only to the reform of An Garda Síochána, but to the ongoing task of protecting our communities. Garda reform will involve substantial investment in ICT and other support infrastructure and I will continue working on this matter with my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The Government has committed to the ending of slopping out in the prison system and the number of prisoners slopping out has been reduced by 71% since 2010. The opening of a new prison in Cork later this year will eliminate slopping out in that prison. You may wish to note that the Irish Prison Service is also advancing plans for the redevelopment of Limerick Prison. All of this work is supported by the process of organisational renewal underway in my Department, the continuing implementation of which is itself a priority.
Prison Staff
Questions (360, 361)
Seán Fleming
Question:360. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding prison officers who are injured in the course of their work and who, as a result, are obliged to retire early on medical grounds; the arrangements in place to allow persons to receive a full pension where they have not worked up their full years' service, and any other compensation arrangements that are in place, if the full pension is not granted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29604/15]
View answerSeán Fleming
Question:361. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding prison officers who have to retire early on medical grounds as a result of a work-related injury; if injury warranty years can be granted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29605/15]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 360 and 361 together.
I am informed by the Director General of the Irish Prison Service that it is bound by the guidelines for the award of added years for pension purposes as provided by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and by the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous) Act 2004. Officers must be certified by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) to retire on ill health grounds. Prison officers can normally retire between the ages of 50 and 55 years if they have 30 years of actual service in the prison service. Officers aged 55 years and over can retire regardless of service.
Where an officer retires having completed at least 5 years’ actual service due to a permanent disability which was not self-inflicted, notional service may, at the discretion of the Department for Public Expenditure and Reform, be added to his/her actual service on the following basis for the purposes of calculating retirement lump sum and personal pension in the case of retirement on grounds of ill-health:
(a) officers with between 5 and 10 years actual reckonable service are credited with an equivalent amount of added service subject to such credited service not exceeding the additional reckonable service which would have accrued if the officer had remained in service up to age 60;
(b) officers with between 10 and 20 years actual reckonable service are credited with the more favourable of
(i) an amount of service equal to the difference between actual reckonable service and 20 years, subject to such credited service not exceeding the additional reckonable service which would have accrued if the officer had remained in service up to age 60; or
(ii) 6 years and 243 days (i.e. two-thirds of a year), subject to such credited service not exceeding the additional service which would have accrued if the officer had remained in service up to minimum retirement age;
(c) officers with more than 20 years actual reckonable service are credited with the same award of added service as at (b)(ii) above.
Requests for Injury Warrant are assessed by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform taking into account the Chief Medical Officers advise.
If an officer suffers an injury as a result of an incident or assault while carrying out their duties, they may be entitled to seek redress through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal. Where an officer is injured as a result of a fall or other such occurrence, they may be entitled to seek redress through the Personal Injuries Assessment Board.