Written Answers Nos. 453-469
453. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which she expects innovation and technology to remain a feature of economic development over the next five years; the extent to which supportive incentives are available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23282/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraInnovation 2020, Ireland's strategy for Research and Development, Science and Technology, is based on a shared vision of Ireland becoming a Global Innovation Leader, driving a strong, sustainable, high employment economy and a better society. As recognised in the strategy, innovation plays a central role in driving productivity growth and fostering competitiveness in a global world where knowledge and innovation are critical factors for advanced economies. Innovation contributes significantly to employment, export and investment growth; the competitiveness of indigenous enterprise; embedding the Foreign Direct Investment base in Ireland; and the creation and application of new knowledge and technology spillovers. Key to achieving the vision in Innovation 2020 is ensuring that our enterprise base remains resilient and internationally competitive. My Department and its agencies are focused on the development and support of internationally trading manufacturing and services firms in Ireland, and have a clear and steady focus on the potential and opportunities that exist and can be created by prioritising innovation and technology as a key driver of success. Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland provide a spectrum of innovation and science/ technology development programmes that deliver financial, technical and experiential support to help companies become more innovative, encourage and support competitiveness, and help them grow their sales and exports in order to create a climate in which sustainable employment will grow and expand.
Achieving the vision outlined in Innovation 2020 will mean that there will be:
- More enterprises engaged in RDI, including enterprises in the locally traded sectors, to drive productivity performance;
- More enterprises progressing from early engagement with RDI to embedding innovation as a key part of their business model in a self-sustaining way;
- Businesses across the enterprise base embracing new technologies to build successful business models;
- Achieving innovation leadership in key sectors where we can sustain a competitive edge;
- Greater utilisation by enterprises of the research assets of our Higher Education Institutes, by engaging with Research Centres and Technology Centres;
- Greater success in translating intellectual property or new thinking into commercial products and services – by providing better supports for knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship, infrastructure for test-bedding, and access to funding.
454. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which she expects further job creation in areas not previously the beneficiaries of major investment, to avail of increased opportunities in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23283/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government Plan is to create 200,000 jobs by 2020, including 135,000 jobs outside Dublin - my focus is to ensure that every region in the country is supported in achieving its economic potential and maximising opportunities for job creation. Balanced growth requires a renewed focus on building regional strengths and areas of competitive advantage to develop the environment for business to start, grow and succeed and to attract inward investment. Since 2015, IDA Ireland has been working towards the targets set out in its strategy, “Winning: Foreign Direct Investment 2015-2019”. Under this strategy, ambitious investment targets have been set on a regional basis for the first time. IDA Ireland aims to increase overall investment by 30% to 40% in each region. In 2016, Enterprise Ireland is targeting its clients to deliver 12,000 new jobs, €22bn in exports (from 18.6bn in 2014) and €2.4bn in new exports. EI’s new Strategy 2017-2020 will be finalised in 2016 and will contain ambitious new targets for supporting start-ups, exports and jobs across all regions. In addition, the 31 Local Enterprise Offices created over 3,500 jobs across all counties in 2015.
The Regional Action Plans for Jobs are playing a significant role in the delivery of regional enterprise and employment growth, by driving collaboration between key stakeholders and working in partnership with the enterprise sector to build on local strengths and deliver new ideas. The Plans’ objective is to increase employment by 10% to 15% in each region, and to ensure the unemployment rate in each region is within one per cent of the State average. This goal is underpinned by key targets for all regions, including increasing the number of entrepreneurs/start-ups in each region by minimum 25%, improving the survival rate and scaling performance of companies; increasing FDI investment into each region by 30% to 40%; and increasing the flow of critical skills to each region’s enterprises.
My Department is also providing funding of up to €250 million to support all Regional Action Plans, to be provided over the next five years to Enterprise Ireland and IDA. This comprises a €150m Regional Property Programme delivered by IDA and up to €100 million available through three Enterprise Ireland competitive calls.
As part of this programme of investment, IDA Ireland is building nine advance facilities around the country, in particular in locations where the private sector has been slow to build. This programme of investment will ensure that there is an adequate supply of first-class property solutions to attract investment. This is a positive development for attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into regional locations. It will provide access to modern property solutions which, when combined with a strong local talent pool and existing FDI cluster, will give these locations an enhanced proposition to offer international investors.
The Enterprise Ireland competitive calls are open to all regions, and are targeted at innovative and collaborative approaches to supporting local job creation. In June this year, I announced an initial allocation of €5 million in competitive funding for 48 local and regional initiatives across the country under two competitive regional funding calls administered by Enterprise Ireland; the LEO Competitive Fund and the Community Enterprise Initiative. Further competitive regional funding calls will be rolled out on a phased basis.
455. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which it is expected that the skills available through those on the live register can be matched to the skill requirements of the workplace in respect of the indigenous and foreign direct investment sectors over the course of the next three years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23285/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department works closely with the enterprises, development agencies, the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Education and Skills on monitoring skills availability and skill needs and ensuring that those on the live register are best placed to take up job opportunities as the economy recovers. We are working closely to achieve an unemployment rate to 6% by 2020 as set in the Programme for a Partnership Government, sustaining the progress in reducing the unemployment rate from 15.1% in 2012 to 7.8% in June of this year. Under Pathways to Work 2013, a Protocol on cooperation between the Department of Social Protection, the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and the enterprise agencies was agreed. The aim of the Protocol is to maximise the recruitment of suitably skilled personnel from the Live Register by the enterprise agencies client companies.
The parties to the Protocol are my own Department, the Department of Social Protection, IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, the Local Enterprise Offices (formerly County Enterprise Boards) and Údarás na Gaeltachta
The Protocol has been maintained under both the new Pathways to Work 2016-2020 strategy and the Action Plan for Jobs strategy 2016. The Protocol is in place to ensure that there are good working arrangements at local level to share information, cooperate on awareness and promotion activities, match enterprise needs for existing and new projects, engage on conversion and training needs and ensure companies can avail of Intreo placement services.
The practical outcomes of the Protocol are primarily at local level - closer working relationships, exchange of key information on jobs opportunities, attending each other’s events, sharing promotional literature, etc. are now commonplace. On 17 May last, some 160 representatives of the Protocol groups attended a Dublin Castle event to share best practices, network and discuss the impact of new strategies such as the Regional Action Plan for Jobs and the Regional Skills Fora.
In addition, the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) reports to me and to the Minister for Education and Skills and provides information on employment trends, job opportunities and demand for skills. It produces an annual “National Skills Bulletin” and “Vacancy Overview” reports. It also provides information on the supply of skills from the Irish education system through the “Monitoring Ireland’s Skills Supply” publication. The EGFSN publishes reports on specific sectorial, or cross-sectoral skills needs. In addition, it produces “Regional Labour Markets Bulletins”.
Recent EGFSN reports have anticipated future job opportunities arising from both expansion and replacement demand for a range of occupational roles. These include ICT, data analytics, manufacturing, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, food and beverages. Further opportunities are also anticipated in international sales and marketing, project management, freight transport, distribution and logistics, and in the hospitality sector.
Co-operation between employers and the education and training system is crucial in developing effective responses to skills needs. This co-operation is being strengthened through the new Regional Skills Fora to connect employers, enterprise development agencies and education and training providers.
456. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which she expects job creation over the next three years to focus on the job requirements of youth unemployed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23286/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Action Plan for Jobs is one of the Government's key instruments to support job creation. Since the launch of the first Plan in 2012, 155,000 more people are in employment. This surpasses the original target to have an extra 100,000 at work by the end of 2016. The Programme for a Partnership Government commits to supporting 200,000 additional at work by 2020, with 135,000 of these new jobs outside Dublin. Unemployment has declined significantly from its peak of 15.1% in 2012 to 7.8% in June 2016. Youth unemployment is also declining. In June 2016, the rate of youth unemployment was 15%, down from 20.8% in 2015. My Department is leading on the securing the effective implementation of the Regional Action Plans for Jobs to ensure that job opportunities and for all cohorts, including youth unemployed, are available.
The Action Plan for Jobs complements Pathways to Work, developed by the Department of Social Protection, which sets out specific measures for young people, under the Youth Guarantee and Youth Activation Charter, to help them access the labour market and new job opportunities.
We will provide a diverse range of choices on leaving secondary education, which is regarded as a key success factor in countries with low levels of youth unemployment. In particular I see the expansion of apprenticeships and traineeships as an effective route to sustainable and rewarding employment for many.
In 2015 the Minister for Education and Skills, announced the development of 25 new Apprenticeships. These cover a wide range of sectors such as manufacturing and engineering, tourism and sport, financial services, information technology, transport distribution and logistics, and business administration and management. A number of these will be enrolling by the end of the 2016 and the remainder in 2017. Overall the Programme for a partnership Government commits to double the number of apprenticeships to 31,000 places by 2020 and significantly increasing the number of traineeship places.
We will continue to work with colleagues across Government to develop initiatives to help our young people to meet their full potential in a fast-changing world.
457. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of jobs lost and gained in County Kildare in each of the past eight years and to date in 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23287/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am assuming that the questions relates to the jobs gained and lost in clients of Agencies in my Department. Enterprise Ireland (EI) reported the creation of 21,118 new jobs by client companies in 2015. This translates into a net increase of 10,169 jobs (taking account of job losses) in EI supported businesses and brings total employment in these companies to 192,223 for 2015, a record high for the agency. Almost two-thirds of the new jobs created were outside Dublin and all of the regions recorded increases in full-time employment over the period. Enterprise Ireland attributes this strong mainly export-led job creation by Irish businesses to an improving entrepreneurial climate for start-ups, dynamic Irish companies innovating and scaling up in key sectors such as food, fintech, business process outsourcing and improving international economic conditions.
2015 saw the highest level of employment in IDA client companies in the organisation’s 67 year history reaching 187,056. A total of 18,983 new jobs were created by their clients during 2015; when job losses are taken into account, there was net job creation of 11,833. Overall, 53% of all jobs created by IDA clients in 2015 were based outside of Dublin, which is an improvement over the 49% share in 2014. Please note that IDA employment figures for 2016 will be included in the Annual Employment Survey when it is completed in early 2017.
The methodology used to compile statistical data for the County Enterprise Boards (CEBs)/Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) changed in 2010 and therefore comparable data is not available for the years 2008 and 2009. The Table below sets out the job gains, job losses and net jobs change overall for Co. Kildare, in client companies of the former CEB and the LEO, for the years 2010–2015 inclusive. It should be noted that following dissolution of the CEBs in 2014 and the subsequent establishment of the LEOs, an extensive cleansing of the former CEB client portfolio was undertaken by Enterprise Ireland. This means that comparison between the period prior to 2014 with 2014 onwards can only be indicative. The data in the following table refers to full-time plus other/part-time jobs. Figures for 2016 will only be available in early 2017.
I am pleased to say that employment in Agency clients has been growing over recent years and I expect, with the continuous focus by EI, IDA and the LEOs, together with implementation of the Mid-East Regional Action Plan for Jobs, we will continue to see job creation in the years ahead.
Figures for the three Agencies for County Kildare are set out in the following tables:
IDA Ireland
|
County |
Category |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
|
Kildare |
Gross Gains |
161 |
32 |
1,451 |
355 |
546 |
339 |
463 |
679 |
|
Kildare |
Gross Losses |
-742 |
-1,638 |
-352 |
-628 |
-575 |
-480 |
-516 |
-588 |
|
Kildare |
Total Jobs |
11,225 |
9,619 |
10,718 |
10,445 |
10,416 |
10,275 |
10,222 |
10,313 |
Jobs are full-time and other/part-time. Total Jobs figures reflect the number of jobs at the end of that year. The following year’s total includes gains and losses from the previous year.
Enterprise Ireland
|
County |
Category |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
|
Kildare |
PFT* Gains |
441 |
538 |
322 |
323 |
522 |
883 |
1,057 |
724 |
|
Kildare |
PFT Losses |
-605 |
-527 |
-523 |
-306 |
-228 |
-245 |
-182 |
-283 |
|
Kildare |
Total PFT Jobs |
5,645 |
5,656 |
5,455 |
5,472 |
5,766 |
6,404 |
7,279 |
7,720 |
*PFT (Permanent Full-Time)
Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs)
|
County |
Category |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
|
Kildare |
Jobs Gains |
277 |
241 |
210 |
310 |
201 |
222 |
|
Kildare |
Jobs Losses |
-204 |
-296 |
-268 |
-141 |
-138 |
-86 |
|
Kildare |
Total Jobs |
1,230 |
1,175 |
1,113 |
1,290 |
683* |
770 |
Jobs (full-time and other/part-time) gained and lost, and overall net change in jobs supported by the CEB/LEO, in Co. Kildare for the years 2010 to 2015 inclusive.
*Reduction in Total Jobs figure in 2014 is as a result of client cleansing during the dissolution of the CEBs that year.
459. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation when or if her Department will utilise section 6(1) of the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 1939 to confirm a new title for her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23351/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are currently no proposals to change the title of my Department and it is therefore not necessary to utilise the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 1939 to confirm a new title.
460. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 239 and 240 of 26 April 2016, the reason a number of young persons leaving the care of the State at 18 years of age were found ineligible for an aftercare service; the assessment undertaken to ascertain the level of support required by these young persons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22958/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraFormal planning for a child who is leaving care normally begins when they turn 16 years of age and an aftercare plan is expected to be in place in the run up to their 18th birthday. Ninety-four per cent of children in care who turned 18 years during 2014 and assessed as needing an aftercare service were offered a service. At the end of March 2016, 121 young adults were discharged from care due to reaching 18 years; 90% of those availing of an aftercare service had an allocated aftercare worker.
Currently, Section 45 of the Child Care Act 1991 provides that Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, may assist a child leaving its care if it is satisfied that the person has a need for assistance. Currently, Tusla is operating under the 'Leaving and Aftercare Services - National Policy & Procedure" document from 2011. The policy specifies that the core eligible age range for aftercare is 18 years and up to the age of 21 years of age. This may be extended for those in full-time education to complete their course of education.
The policy also includes parameters for the provision of services, including the following:
- A young person should have been in care for a minimum of 12 consecutive months after their 16th birthday, prior to their 18th birthday,
or,
- A young person should have been in care for a minimum of 12 consecutive months on their 16th birthday.
It should be noted that young adults leaving care at 18 years are not obliged to avail of an aftercare service, and those that choose not to engage are encouraged and supported to avail of the services at any stage up to the age of 21 years.
The Child Care (Amendment) Act 2015 was signed into law in December of last year and is awaiting commencement. The Act is primarily concerned with aftercare - the planning and support put in place to meet the needs of a young person who is leaving statutory care at 18 years of age, to assist him or her in making the transition to independent living. The Act obliges Tusla, following an assessment of need, to prepare an aftercare plan identifying relevant aftercare supports for an eligible child or eligible young person.
An eligible child means a child aged 16 years or over who has spent at least 12 months in the care of the State between the ages of 13 and (up to) 18 years old. An eligible adult means a young person aged 18, 19 or 20 who has spent at least 12 months in the care of the State between the ages of 13 and 18 years old.
461. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 239 and 240 of 26 April 2016, the accommodation status, if known, of the young persons who left State care and were not allocated an aftercare worker; if it is known if any of these young persons entered homelessness; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22959/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAt the end of March 2016, there were 1,858 young adults of all ages (i.e., 18 years and upwards, and inclusive of those 25 or older) in receipt of aftercare services. Of the 1,858 young adults, 1,754 (94%) were aged 18-22 years (inclusive). During the first three months of 2016, 121 young adults were discharged from care due to reaching 18 years. 97% of these were eligible for an aftercare service and 91% were availing of a service. Of those availing of a service, 90% had an allocated aftercare worker.
The data on the current accommodation of young persons involved with after care supports is not available of the format referred to by the Deputy. Tusla details in their report for the first quarter of 2016, that the vast majority of 18-22 years olds in receipt of an aftercare service were residing in some form of stable accommodation. 48% of those care leavers remained living with their foster carers, 26% were living independently, 10% returned home, 3% were living in supported lodgings and 5% were living in residential centres. 8% were living in other types of less stable accommodation.
Findings from research show that homelessness amongst care leavers is most likely to occur some years following discharge from care. The Child Care (Amendment) Act 2015 allows for an eligible adult (those aged 18, 19 or 20 years who have spent 12 consecutive months in care between the ages of 13 and 18) to apply for an aftercare plan.
462. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason an acknowledgement or response has not been received from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, with respect to correspondence (details supplied) which was sent to the agency a number of weeks ago and which was subsequently resent earlier in July 2016 after the agency failed to issue a response; when a reply will issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23053/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, I have asked Tusla - the Child and Family Agency to respond directly to the Deputy.
463. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the full year cost of extending the early childhood care and education scheme to 40, 41, 42, 43 and 44 weeks. [23149/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is estimated that the cost of extending the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme to the number of weeks specified by the Deputy, assuming 60% of children will attend higher rate services and 40% of children will attend standard rate services, would be as follows:
|
No of Weeks |
Estimated Cost |
|
40 Weeks |
€17,520,704 |
|
41 weeks |
€26,987,295 |
|
42 weeks |
€35,041,408 |
|
43 weeks |
€43,801,760 |
|
44 weeks |
€52,562,112 |
The expansion of the ECCE programme into a second year, from September 2016, will see the number of children benefitting from the Programme rise from around 67,000 to around 127,000 in a given programme year. For the 2016/17 programme year, it is estimated that 89,500 children will be eligible to enrol in the Programme from September 2016, an additional 22,000 from January 2017 and a further 15,500 from April 2017. From September 2016, the standard weekly capitation rate for each eligible child will be €64.50, and the higher weekly capitation rate will be €75.
464. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the way the €35 million additional moneys allocated to Tusla was allocated; the criteria that were applied in decisions made; the number of posts that were allocated to child protection teams; if she will provide a detailed breakdown of these posts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23152/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraSignificant extra resources have been allocated to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency for 2016. The gross funding allocation for Tusla in 2016 is €676 million. This represents an increase of €38 million over the 2015 allocation and includes extra provision of €36.9 in revenue funding and €1.1m in capital funding.
In accordance with the Agency's establishing legislation, a detailed Performance Statement was issued to Tusla to inform the preparation of its Business Plan for 2016. The Performance Statement includes policy guidance, direction, prioritisation and resource parameters for 2016.
Tusla has committed in its Business Plan to a series of actions in 2016. This includes in particular a targeted reduction of 60% in the number of cases awaiting allocation to a social worker.
The level of financial provision available in 2016 allows Tusla to significantly increase its manpower levels. Tusla is currently engaged in an extensive recruitment programme, which includes the recruitment of 168 extra social workers and 33 support staff to address the issue of unallocated cases. It will be important to recruit other grades also, to ensure an efficient service with the right mix of staffing including family support staff and administrative support.
There are currently 1,511 whole time equivalent social workers employed by Tusla representing a net increase of 110 whole time equivalent social workers since end December, 2015.
465. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs considering the success of the preparing for life early intervention programme initiative operated by Northside Partnership in north Dublin, her plans to provide funding for this programme to continue and what are her proposals for rolling this programme out to other disadvantaged areas across the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23228/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme is a joint prevention and early intervention initiative led by my Department and The Atlantic Philanthropies. It is a time bound co-funding arrangement with resources of €29.7m from 2013 to 2017. The aim of the ABC Programme is to test and evaluate prevention and early intervention approaches to improve outcomes for children and families living in poverty in 13 areas of disadvantage.
The ABC Programme was preceded by the Prevention and Early Intervention Programme (PEIP) (2007-2013) in which three sites participated: Preparing for Life Programme, Darndale, Youngballymun and the Childhood Development Initiative Tallaght. Preparing for Life received €6m as a participant in the Prevention and Early Intervention programme. The total funding for Preparing for Life under the ABC programme is €3.34m bringing the total funding received by Preparing for Life under both programmes to €9.34m.
I want to acknowledge the excellent research undertaken by Preparing for Life in recent years including in respect of its home visiting programme which is showing promising results. I should emphasise that many of the ABC sites are engaged in research and evaluation of their programmes, approaches and interventions. A number of sites who were previously funded under PEIP, or other philanthropic-funded programmes have produced detailed high quality evaluations with many promising results being identified across the sites and individual programmes. My Department is working to ensure that we take full account of the learning from all the interventions across the 13 ABC sites including Preparing for Life. This will offer a clear illustration of the interventions that work best, and will inform our plans to embed prevention and early intervention in services for children.
The current contract for Preparing for Life was due to conclude in August 2016. My Department worked with Preparing for Life in April to agree the extension of this contract together with that of the two other PEIP sites to end July 2017. This will bring them in line with the other 10 ABC sites. To ensure continued provision, my Department and The Atlantic Philanthropies have sanctioned an additional €400k to Preparing for Life. Preparing for Life welcomed the additional funding and have indicated that it allows them to embed their work in mainstream services and contribute to the learning and evaluation of the ABC Programme.
I look forward to the continued engagement of the 13 ABC sites with my Department as we work towards the implementation of quality prevention and early intervention initiatives in order to achieve our shared goal of improving the lives of children and families throughout the country.
466. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when or if her Department will utilise section 6(1) of the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 1939 to confirm a new title for her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23343/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can inform the Deputy that the title of my Department remains unchanged and there are no plans to utilise Section 6(1) of Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 1939 to change same.
467. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence to raise the matter of ambulance cover for personnel exercising horses at the next meeting of the Curragh forum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23003/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is the responsibility of those involved in the training and exercising of horses on the Curragh gallops to ensure that proper health and safety provisions are in place. As this is not a matter for the Department of Defence or the Curragh Forum it is suggested that concerns in this regard might best be brought to the attention of the HSE.
468. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence when or if his Department will utilise section 6(1) of the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 1939 to confirm a new title for his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23345/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are no plans to change the title of the Department of Defence.
