Written Answers Nos. 127-143
127. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of days on patrol for Naval Service vessels off Cork Harbour in each of the years 2015 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30381/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra128. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of Naval Service vessels patrolling seas around the coast outside Cork harbour for each week to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30382/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra129. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if problems are being encountered sending Naval Service vessels out to sea to patrol due to a shortage of trained personnel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30383/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra130. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if Reserve Defence Force members are being asked to take part in Naval Service patrols at short notice due to the fact that there is a shortage of trained personnel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30384/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 127 to 130, inclusive, together.
While the primary day-to-day tasking of the Naval Service in Ireland is to provide a fishery protection service in accordance with the State’s fishery protection legislation and our obligations as a member of the European Union, when on patrol Naval Service vessels are multi-tasked in the sense that they also undertake general surveillance, security and other duties.
The Naval Service conducts routine maritime surveillance patrols throughout Ireland’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Irish Naval vessels have also been deployed to the Mediterranean since 2015. For operational & security reasons, it would not be appropriate to disclose precise matters affecting Naval Service patrols. The total number of days on patrol in each of the years 2015 to 2017 and to end May 2018 is set out in the following table.
|
Year |
Number of days on patrol |
|
2018 (up to 31st May) |
725 |
|
2017 |
1408 |
|
2016 |
1376 |
|
2015 |
1204 |
With regard to the number of personnel in the Naval Service, I would note that the current establishment for the Naval Service is 1,094. As of 31 May 2018 the effective strength of the Naval Service is 1,047. The current establishment of the Naval Service Reserve is 200. As of 31 May the effective strength of the Naval Service Reserve is 115.
The Naval Service Reserve trains its members to supplement and aid the work of the Naval Service in carrying out its wide variety of roles. As part of their training, Naval reservists receive instruction in sail training, navigation, marine communications, weapons training, fire fighting and sea survival. Subject to the availability of seagoing berths, Naval reservists also receive annual training on board Naval Service ships when on patrol, especially during summer months.
The Naval Service Reserve has carried out 29 training days on-board Naval Service Ships in 2018 to date. I understand that there are currently two Naval Service Reserve personnel on-board one of the Naval ships, with more planned to take part in training in the coming weeks. The presence of Naval Service Reserve personnel contributes positively to the overall operational capability of the ship and this situation benefits both the Naval Service and the Naval Service Reserve. I wish to place on record my great admiration for the members of the Naval Service Reserve who provide valuable support to the Naval Service both at sea and on land.
131. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the cost of travel expenses for him and those that travel with him since his appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30508/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn the period since 30 June, 2017, the total costs incurred by myself and the staff of my office, specifically my advisors and Private Secretary, on travel within Ireland are as follows -
30 June-31 December 2017 €12,269.07
01 January-30 June 2018 €16,638.29
Costs incurred in respect of foreign travel by myself, my advisors and Private Secretary are as follows:
30 June-31 December 2017 €20,636.34
01 January-31 March 2018 €6,343.96
Figures for expenditure on foreign travel for the period 01 April-30 June 2018 are not yet available.
Other officials occasionally provide support to me as Minister when I travel to events either here in Ireland or abroad. However, those officials will often have wider business reasons for any travel they undertake.
132. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of times he has met his officials regarding Project Ireland 2040 since its launch; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30549/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraProject Ireland 2040 is the Government’s overarching policy initiative to make Ireland a better country for all of us, a country that reflects the best of who we are and what we aspire to be. The National Development Plan 2018 – 2027, a key part of Project Ireland 2040, recognises that Defence provides part of the societal bedrock which allows society to function and thus contributes to national well-being across political, social, economic and environmental elements. The increased investment in Defence under the Plan will provide a foundation of support in respect of other key sectors and will allow the Defence Organisation to undertake a programme of sustained equipment replacement and infrastructural development as identified and prioritised in the Defence White Paper.
I am in daily contact with individual Management Board members and officials on a range of issues, including Project Ireland 2040, as part of the on-going business of the Department.
133. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of FOI requests his Department has received since January 2018; the number of refusals; the number that have been appealed and that are ongoing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30566/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs of the 5 July, my Department had received 81 FOI requests, of which 23 were refused. There have been no appeals of decisions in relation to requests to date in 2018.
134. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of vacancies on State boards under the remit of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30583/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe only State Board 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 are currently no vacancies on the Board.
135. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if a general service recruitment campaign for the Air Corps will occur later in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30869/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am informed by the military authorities that Airmen / Airwomen are not usually inducted directly into the Air Corps (AC), as historically most personnel in these posts transfer across from the Army.
It is planned to induct 28 Apprentices into the Air Corps this September (2018) and, to maximise training resources, augment the apprentice class with General Service recruits. The General Service recruits will be selected from other formations, ideally within geographical proximity to Baldonnel Aerodrome. The General Service recruits will train with the apprentices for recruit training and then complete private three star training separately. In the recent past, some of these General Service Recruits were subsequently assigned to the Air Corps as Airmen/Airwomen.
136. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of public sector jobs offered as internal competitions or restricted to existing Civil Service or public service staff in his Department in 2017 and to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31544/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraCivil Service vacancies in my Department are filled on the basis of centrally agreed sequences. In this context, in 2017 a total of 6 Civil Service posts were filled following internal competitions, while in 2018 to date, 8 such posts have been filled.
In addition, my Department employs some 450 civilian employees in various military installations across the country. In 2017, 16 civilian employee positions were filled on foot of internal competition and 9 such posts have been filled to date in 2018.
137. Deputy Colm Brophy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his Department has identified laws which are dependent on or in place as a consequence of Article 41.2 of the Constitution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30101/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has not identified any legislation it has brought forward which is dependent on or in place as a consequence of Article 41.2 of the Constitution.
138. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the way in which Irish Aid election observers are selected; if this system will be more open, transparent and accountable; if there are criteria in place for such selections; if unsuccessful applicants can be given the names of those ultimately selected; his views on the way in which selections were made in selecting election observers for the upcoming EU election observation mission to Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30152/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraInternational election monitoring missions play an important role in the promotion of democracy and human rights. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade maintains and administers a roster of individuals to participate in election observation missions, organised in the main by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Union (EU). I refer the Deputy to the responses to previous Parliamentary Questions on this matter, Question 167 of 4 July 2018, Questions 167 and 172 of 25 October 2017 Questions 357 and 358 of 13 December 2016, Question 243 of 2 November 2016 and Questions 335, 336 and 337 of 14 June 2016.
The criteria for selection for observation missions were set out in the Information Note for Applicants accompanying the call for applications to join the Election Observation Roster established in 2013. This is unchanged, both in selection criteria and methodology.
For each election observation mission to which Ireland proposes to deploy observers, all roster members are invited to express their interest in the mission with a view to ensuring the widest possible participation. A short-list is drawn up based on the specific criteria set out by the EU or OSCE, including relevant local and regional experience, language proficiency, gender and length of time since serving on a mission. In many cases, the EU and OSCE also invite Member States to nominate new observers or observers with limited experience. However, the final decision rests with the inviting body, usually the OSCE or the European Union.
The recent call for Election Observers to participate in the upcoming EU EOM to Zimbabwe attracted a high volume of applications with a total of twenty four Short-Term and eight Long-Term Observer applications. Four Long-Term Observers (LTOs) and four Short-Term Observers (STOs) were nominated from which the EU EOM selected two LTOs, one LTO reserves and two STOs, reflecting the highly competitive nature of selection.
Roster members are individually notified of the outcome of the selection and in the case of EU Missions, the EU made the actual final selection. There are important concerns about the release of personal data in terms of legislation and security to third parties. Circulating such information about individual observers would require the consent of observers and doing so without their consent may be in breach of EU General Data Protection Regulation.
139. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the target turnaround time for passports across all services; the average turnaround time across all services for passports for May, June, July and August in each of the years 2015 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30279/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe turnaround timeframe for a passport application will depend on the channel through which the application was submitted. The table below summarises the target turnaround times for the Passport Service’s main application channels. Turnaround times for individual missions outside Ireland and the UK are omitted as these will vary for each individual mission and are dependent on local postal services. The Passport Service has maintained consistent targets for the full duration of the timeframe in question. Turnaround times are among a number of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) by which the Passport Service measures its success in delivering a modern and responsive public service.
Table 1: Target turnaround times:
|
Type of Passport Application |
Target Turnaround Times |
|
Online passport application service |
10 working days |
|
An Post Passport Express renewal application |
15 working days |
|
An Post Passport Express first time application & application to replace lost/stolen/damaged passport |
20 working days |
|
Northern Ireland Passport Express renewal applications |
15 working days |
|
Northern Ireland Passport Express first time application & application to replace lost/stolen/damaged passport |
20 working days |
|
London Passport Office renewal application |
20 working days |
|
London Passport Office first time application & application to replace lost/stolen/damaged passport |
30 working days |
The following tables summarise the average actual turnaround times for each application channel for the months May to August for the years requested. Please note that the online passport application service was launched in March 2017 and so this channel does not appear for the 2015 and 2016 summaries.
Table 2 – Monthly average actual turnaround times May to August 2015:
|
Type of Passport Application |
Turnaround time (working days) |
||||
|
May |
June |
July |
August |
||
|
An Post Passport Express renewal application |
13 |
13 |
11 |
9 |
|
|
An Post Passport Express first time application & application to replace lost/stolen/damaged passport |
17 |
19 |
16 |
12 |
|
|
Northern Ireland Passport Express renewal applications |
14 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
|
|
Northern Ireland Passport Express first time application & application to replace lost/stolen/damaged passport |
17 |
15 |
11 |
10 |
|
|
London Passport Office renewal application |
35 |
30 |
20 |
15 |
|
|
London Passport Office first time application & application to replace lost/stolen/damaged passport |
36 |
34 |
39 |
32 |
|
Table 3 – Monthly average actual turnaround times May to August 2016:
|
Type of Passport Application |
Turnaround time (working days) |
||||
|
May |
June |
July |
August |
||
|
An Post Passport Express renewal application |
15 |
14 |
12 |
12 |
|
|
An Post Passport Express first time application & application to replace lost/stolen/damaged passport |
21 |
20 |
17 |
11 |
|
|
Northern Ireland Passport Express renewal applications |
21 |
16 |
11 |
10 |
|
|
Northern Ireland Passport Express first time application & application to replace lost/stolen/damaged passport |
25 |
23 |
19 |
15 |
|
|
London Passport Office renewal application |
34 |
25 |
25 |
18 |
|
|
London Passport Office first time application & application to replace lost/stolen/damaged passport |
38 |
38 |
41 |
35 |
|
Table 4 – Monthly average actual turnaround times May to August 2017:
|
Type of Passport Application |
Turnaround time (working days) |
||||
|
May |
June |
July |
August |
||
|
Online passport application service |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
|
|
An Post Passport Express renewal application |
15 |
15 |
15 |
13 |
|
|
An Post Passport Express first time application & application to replace lost/stolen/damaged passport |
22 |
24 |
21 |
16 |
|
|
Northern Ireland Passport Express renewal applications |
16 |
14 |
14 |
12 |
|
|
Northern Ireland Passport Express first time application & application to replace lost/stolen/damaged passport |
29 |
30 |
17 |
14 |
|
|
London Passport Office renewal application |
35 |
35 |
31 |
30 |
|
|
London Passport Office first time application & application to replace lost/stolen/damaged passport |
62 |
66 |
62 |
40 |
|
Table 5 – Monthly average actual turnaround times May to June 2018:
|
Type of Passport Application |
Turnaround time (working days) |
|
|
May |
June |
|
|
Online passport application service |
10 |
10 |
|
An Post Passport Express renewal application |
15 |
15 |
|
An Post Passport Express first time application & application to replace lost/stolen/damaged passport |
22 |
24 |
|
Northern Ireland Passport Express renewal applications |
16 |
14 |
|
Northern Ireland Passport Express first time application & application to replace lost/stolen/damaged passport |
29 |
30 |
|
London Passport Office renewal application |
35 |
35 |
|
London Passport Office first time application & application to replace lost/stolen/damaged passport |
62 |
66 |
140. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if issuing reminders for renewal of passports has been considered in the passport service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30280/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Passport Service currently has a system for reminding passport holders that their passport is due for renewal. Passport holders must first enter their passport details on https://www.eforms.gov.ie/en/reminder/passport/ and they will be sent a reminder email three months prior to the expiry date of the passport. The Passport Service includes a notification highlighting this service with every new passport issued. The notification is attached to the protective laminate enclosed with the passport. I would urge all Deputies to encourage citizens to register for this free passport renewal reminder email service provided by my Department. I am grateful to Deputies for their continued assistance in advising constituents to submit their application in good time before their planned travel date and to consult the Passport Service’s webpage on my Department’s website before applying.
141. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to open an additional passport office in view of the increase in demand as a result of the Brexit referendum; the locations that have been considered for such an office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30281/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Passport Service offers a range of convenient channels for submission of passport applications by Irish citizens. An online passport application service was launched in March 2017 and offers the convenience of an online application system 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for Irish citizens anywhere in the world, without the need for application forms, printed photos or witnesses. At present, the online passport application service accommodates adult passport renewal applications and passport card applications. It is planned to extend the online application facility to other categories of renewal by the end of 2018. People who cannot or do not wish to apply online have the option of applying through their local post office. The vast majority of applications received by the Passport Service from applicants residing in the island of Ireland are submitted through Passport Express and Northern Ireland Passport Express. Northern Ireland Passport Express allows applicants living in Northern Ireland to apply for their passport through more than 70 post offices. Applicants residing in Great Britain can post their applications directly to the Cork Passport Office. Bearing in mind the availability of both the online and postal application channels, very few citizens living in the island of Ireland are required to travel a significant distance in order to apply for their passport. In the relatively small number of cases where citizens need to travel very urgently and do not have a valid passport, the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork offer an appointment service.
Given the variety of options available, I am satisfied that the current needs of passport applicants are being met without the need for the establishment of a further passport office.
Advice and guidance on the above channels and other useful information on passports is available on the Department’s website at www.dfa.ie/passport.
142. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of additional staff that have been hired in 2018 on a temporary basis in the passport service; the number of permanent staff that have requested parental leave for May to September 2018, inclusive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30282/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Passport Service monitors the volume of applications on an ongoing basis to ensure that staff resources are available to meet demand. In order to respond to anticipated application increases and to seasonal demands, the Passport Service has recruited 214 Temporary Clerical Officers (TCOs) so far this year. These TCOs have been appointed to the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork and are working together with permanent staff to process passport applications and to deal with the high number of enquiries being made through the Passport Service’s various customer service channels. Additional measures taken by the Passport Service to address seasonal demand include the use of targeted overtime for all Passport Offices and the redeployment of experienced staff from across the Department to processing applications and responding to customer queries. Furthermore, the number of Full Time Equivalent staff permanently employed by my Department and assigned to the Passport Service has increased this year. Over 30 additional permanent staff have been assigned to the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork since the beginning of the year.
A total of 18 staff members in the Passport Service made requests for parental leave in 2018 for the months May to September. Parental Leave provides unpaid time off work to care for a child or make arrangements for the child’s welfare. The duration of leave periods can vary from hours to months. Staff must submit their parental leave requests 6 months in advance of their leave date.
143. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the cost of travel expenses for him and those that travel with him since his appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30512/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince my appointment as Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in June 2017, the total cost of travel for myself and those that travel with me was €129,317. As the Deputy will appreciate, by nature of my Department’s responsibilities, I am obliged to undertake a significant amount of official travel overseas.
My Department complies with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform guidelines on official travel. The central aim of the Departmental travel policy is to minimise official travel costs and to achieve value for money for expenditure necessarily incurred, consistent with the effective discharge of official duties.
