Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2023
228. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the funding allocated to the office of veterans affairs in 2023; the amount expended; the estimated cost of fully staffing and resourcing the office, in line with the Report of the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39281/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe establishment of an Office of Veterans Affairs was one of 130 recommendations included in the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces which was published on 9th of February 2022.
Following detailed consideration by the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces of the recommendations in the report, a High Level Action Plan and a Memorandum for Government were brought to Government and approved on 12th of July 2022. The High Level Action Plan set out the response of Government in relation to each of the 130 individual recommendations: Accept, Accept in Principle, Further Evaluation or Revert. The recommendation to establish an Office of Veterans Affairs was accepted in principle, meaning that further consideration is required on the optimal approach to meeting the intent of the Commission.
Work is underway on preparing a detailed implementation plan which will be published in the coming weeks. The plan, when published, will set out how the implementation of this recommendation will be progressed and the proposed timeframe.
In the meantime, my officials and I meet regularly with the recognised Veterans Associations to discuss matters of concern to their members.
