Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 3:29 pm on 3 September 2025.
Lord Coaker
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence
3:29,
3 September 2025
My Lords, in 2025 there have been a number of discussions between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland on defence. The permanent Secretary visited Ireland in January; the Chief of the Defence Staff visited in February, marking the first visit of a Chief of the Defence Staff to Ireland since 2016; and the Second Permanent Secretary visited in April. Irish Ministers met UK Defence Ministers under the wider coalition of the willing meetings held over the course of the year.
A Permanent Secretary is a top civil servant- there is a permanent secretary in each Office/Dept./Ministry Permanent Secretaries are always Knights, (I.E. "Sir" or "Dame"). BBC Sitcom "Yes Minster" portrays Sir Humprey Appelby as a Permanent Secretary, steretypically spouting lots of red tape and bureacracy.
