158. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will advocate for the introduction of an occupational supplementary pension for post 2013 Defence Forces personnel, to bridge the four year gap that now exists between forced retirement at 62 yeas and access to the State pension at 66 years considering this cohort makes up well over 50% of all Defence Forces personnel of all ranks; the issue also impacts the Fire Brigade, Prison Service and Garda; 79% of post 2013 Defence Forces officers do not see a long term future in the Defence Forces due to these inferior and unviable pension arrangements. [43238/24]
157. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to confirm that the agreed time-off-in-lieu measures and overseas reunion flights, approved by him in February 2024 under the working time directive, will be introduced without further delay; specifically that all members of the 125th Infantry Battalion UNIFIL, due to deploy to Lebanon in late November 2024, will be able to avail of these flights; and that all residential career courses currently ongoing in the Defence Forces will receive the agreed time off. [43237/24]
156. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence when the necessary legislative provisions to implement the working time directive will be enacted with consideration for previous announcements (details supplied). [43236/24]
62. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform how he intends to address the inadequate occupational pension provision for serving personnel who joined the Defence Forces after 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22157/24]
258. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the number of members of the civil service and public service who have been convicted of crimes or are currently before the courts charged with criminal offences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28894/24]
103. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he would consider re-opening Ireland's trade and investment office in Taiwan, which was closed in 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27726/24]
4. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the contingency plans in place for any potential evacuation of Irish citizens from Lebanon should there be an escalation in hostilities there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27725/24]
271. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Education when she expects the design of a new school (details supplied) to progress to planning permission and tendering stage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24723/24]
55. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider exempting psychotherapists and counsellors from the 13.5% VAT rate, in order to improve access to mental health services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23268/24]
49. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to outline the Defence Forces' anti-submarine warfare capability; if he has any plans to upgrade it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22160/24]
46. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence how he intends to increase the strength of the Reserve Defence Force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22156/24]
37. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to outline the Defence Forces' anti-drone technology capability; if he has any plans to upgrade it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22159/24]
18. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to outline Ireland's air defence capability; if he has any plans to upgrade it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22158/24]
2. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to outline the additional allowances payable to Defence Forces Irish contingent personnel participating in the EU battle group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22068/24]
58. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the approximate expected delivery date of the new Airbus C295 military transport aircraft; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13279/24]
37. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will report on the proposed procurement of a primary radar system for Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13280/24]
15. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the combined budget for the Defence group Vote each year from 2020 to 2024; the percentage uplift each year from the previous year, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13282/24]
12. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will report on the proposed procurement of a multi-role vessel for the Naval Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13281/24]
191. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Education her Department's plans for increasing capacity of secondary schools in north Kildare to enrol students from September 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7106/24]
172. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence in light of commitments given on military housing by the Tánaiste last year, what the plan is for the currently unoccupied houses in an area (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3797/24]
4. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if a risk assessment has been carried out on the impact on Irish troops and diplomats in the Middle East should Ireland formally support South Africa's Gaza case before the International Court of Justice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3483/24]
45. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Health to consider extending the pandemic special recognition payment to nurses and staff of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48997/23]
4. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Health to outline the direct support his Department has provided to Ukrainians living in Ukraine in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48996/23]
560. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he expects to introduce a suckler reduction scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35134/23]
4. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when he expects details of a cow reduction scheme to be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35133/23]
58. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to outline in tabular form, the number of commissioned officers promoted in the Army Reserve and Naval Reserve, by rank, from 01 January 2022 to 30 June 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34610/23]
346. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Justice if she will provide the breakdown of firearm types (details supplied) seized by An Garda Síochána from 2013 to 2022, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31833/23]
113. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the reason the military medicine scheme for military medical officers has been so poorly resourced that the scheme appears to no longer be viable; if he will engage with the representative associations on improved terms and conditions for improved direct-entry medical officers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29274/23]
110. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence how many of the currently unoccupied married quarters/family homes in the Defence Estate he expects to have refurbished and reoccupied by the end of 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29270/23]
106. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will outline, in tabular form, the numbers of RDF recruited and discharged from both the Army Reserve and the Naval Reserve, since 1 January 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29273/23]
93. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the date by which he expects primary radar coverage of Irish airspace to be operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29272/23]
82. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the reason no Air Corps apprentices have been inducted this year; when this induction is going to take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29271/23]
384. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science how he intends to reduce the cost of attending third level education for the academic year 2023-2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26970/23]
82. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science how he intends to ensure that PhD students receive a living wage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26969/23]
4. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Justice how he intends to improve recruitment and retention rates in An Garda Síochána; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25403/23]
73. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of offshore wind turbines he expects to be off the Irish coast by the end of 2024, 2025 and 2026, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20209/23]
321. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if, in light of their active support for the war in Ukraine, he will summon the Ambassadors of China, India and South Africa to express the State's displeasure at their stance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10897/23]
320. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if, in light of the war in Ukraine being perpetrated by the Russian Federation, he will take steps to expel the Ambassador of the Russian Federation, or at least reduce the number of Russian embassy staff in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10896/23]
319. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has conducted a review of the activities of the embassy of the Russian Federation in Ireland; if he is satisfied that the current level of diplomatic presence therein is justifiable in light of the prosecution by that nation of a war on the sovereign state, Ukraine, which has been condemned by the United Nations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10895/23]
190. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform when additional long-service increments for Defence Forces personnel will be implemented in accordance with the recommendations in the high-level action plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10764/23]
91. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform when an improvement in the Naval Service patrol duty allowance will be implemented in accordance with the recommendations in the high-level action plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10763/23]
66. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the number of family quarters and homes managed by his Department; the number that are currently unoccupied; if there are plans to bring them back into use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5129/23]
107. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the amount that was returned unspent by the Department of Defence from 2022; if any of this money was from pay savings due to the significantly under strength Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2528/23]
19. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Defence if members of the emergency aeromedical service in Athlone and those who assisted with mandatory hotel quarantine will receive the €1,000 pandemic recognition payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58473/22]