With a growing focus on security and defence issues across Europe and at national level, as Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence and with the support of the Government, I recently convened a national Consultative Forum on International Security Policy. The aim of the Forum was to provide an opportunity for a serious and honest conversation about the international security policy options available to the State, and the implications of each of these.
The Forum took place over four days in Cork, Galway and Dublin, and saw over 80 panellists moderating or speaking and approximately 1,000 attendees. Well over 600 submissions were received from the public and all discussions were live-streamed. These can also be watched back at www.gov.ie/ConsultativeForum.
Costs related to the Forum are being split on an equal basis between the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Defence. Costs arising for the Department of Foreign Affairs are being met from existing resources in Vote 28 and are a charge on the Department’s allocation for “training and development and incidental expenses”.
The Department did not refer the organisation of the Consultative Forum to the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform - which assumed responsibility in 2011 for functions previously assigned to the Department of Finance in the Public Financial Procedures - as it did not involve the provision of a new service.
I am fully satisfied that the ambit of Vote 28, as approved by Dáil Éireann, is sufficiently wide to cover the convening of a Forum of this kind, and that the organisation of a Forum of this kind is also consistent with the statutory functions allocated to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
