Tom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 57, 84 and 113 together.

The Minister for Defence attended the General Affairs and External Relations Council, GAERC, meeting in Defence Ministers formation on 21 November 2005. Ministers discussed progress in developing military capabilities, current issues relating to civil-military co-operation, and the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Under military capabilities, the discussions focused on the requirements catalogue 05, the single progress report and the headline goal questionnaire. Comprehensive planning and security sector reform were discussed under civil-military co-operation.

The requirements catalogue 05 is the first step in the delivery of headline goal 2010. It identifies the forces and capabilities needed against which member states will be invited to make offers through the headline goal questionnaire. It is a planning document and, therefore, it imposes no obligations on member states in terms of capability development or the provision of specific capabilities.

At the battle group co-ordination conference in November 2005, member states gave commitments for up to 18 rapid response elements-battle groups. Each rapid response element-battle group will be on stand-by for a six month period and with the exception of one slot on 2009, all slots out to 2010 are now filled. Currently, there is one rapid response element-battle group on stand-by and from January 2007 there will be two on stand-by.

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