Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

As the House will be aware, a contingent of the Permanent Defence Force, comprising 435 personnel, is serving with the United Nations Mission in Liberia, or UNMIL, since December 2003. Defence Forces personnel serving with the mission are entitled to 21 days annual leave for the duration of their tour of duty, which is six months.

I am advised that the average cost of a return commercial scheduled flight ticket Dublin to Monrovia is €1,200. Members of the Irish contingent in Liberia have the opportunity to avail of a subsidised leave flight to Ireland during their tour of duty in Liberia. Arrangements were made by my predecessor to allow personnel serving in Liberia to avail of aircraft chartered for the deployment, consignment and/or repatriation of personnel, stores and equipment to and from the mission area. Access to these flights is made available, space permitting, to personnel who are: availing of leave; travelling to or from the mission area on duty; or being repatriated from the mission area.

In the case of personnel who are availing of the flights for leave purposes, a contribution of €500 is provided by each individual and a mechanism to have the sum deducted at source from the individual's overseas allowance has been agreed with the Department's financial accounts section. There has been a very high uptake of the facility by members of the 90th and 91st infantry battalions to date. Of the 90th infantry battalion, 96.5% of its members availed of the facility. The present battalion, that is the 91st infantry battalion, shows a similar take up. There are no plans at present to alter the current arrangements. However, the matter will be kept under review.

I am advised that all Irish personnel are issued with mosquito nets as well as two types of mosquito repellent, one for application to the mosquito net and the other for normal skin application.

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