Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Question 289: To ask the Minister for Defence his plans to visit members of the Defence Forces serving on overseas missions in the remainder of 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12341/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Since taking up my appointment as Minister for Defence, I have not yet had an opportunity to visit Irish troops serving on overseas missions. However, as the House will be aware, an Irish battalion is due to be deployed to Southern Lebanon by the end of June 2011, for service with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). I hope to visit the Irish personnel in UNIFIL later this year, once the Irish battalion has settled in. I envisage that my visit will take place in the autumn. I look forward to witnessing at first hand the dedication and professionalism of our military personnel and the tremendous work done in those parts of the world in which the Defence Forces serve.