Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 14, 38, 44, 177 and 178 together.

Ireland is currently contributing 746 Defence Forces personnel to 13 different missions throughout the world. Full details, including ranks, of all personnel currently serving overseas are listed in the following tabular statement. While personnel from all services are liable for overseas service and serve overseas, as a matter of policy, Air Corps and Naval Service assets are not deployed overseas.

The main overseas missions in which Defence Forces personnel are deployed are the UN mandated EU-multinational mission to Chad and the Central African Republic with 409 personnel, the NATO-led international security presence, KFOR, in Kosovo with 234 personnel and EUFOR, the EU-led operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with 44 personnel. Other personnel are serving as monitors and observers with the United Nations, the European Union and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Staff are also deployed at the organisational headquarters of the UN, EU, OSCE and NATO.

The European Union military mission to Chad and the Central African Republic, established under the authority of United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 1778, was formally launched by the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 28 January 2008. A total of 409 Defence Forces personnel are currently serving with EUFOR — 18 at the operational headquarters in Paris and 391 in Chad, of whom 23 are at the force headquarters and 368 as part of the 98th Infantry Battalion. The headquarters of the 98th Infantry Battalion are located at Goz Beida in south east Chad. Ireland is the second largest contributor to the mission with 409 personnel. The aim of the mission is to protect civilians in danger, particularly refugees and internally displaced persons, facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and protect UN personnel. The mandate of the EUFOR mission is due to expire on 15 March 2009. A United Nations "blue hat" mission is due to take over from the EU mission on that date.

KFOR was established in June 1999 to support the maintenance of civil law and order within Kosovo, so as to develop a climate of safety and security, which will enable the transfer of increased responsibility to the civil authorities. Ireland has participated in KFOR since August 1999. The Irish 39th Infantry group currently serves in the multinational task force centre. In addition to Ireland, the taskforce also comprises troops from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Sweden, Finland and Latvia. The Irish contribution to KFOR currently comprises an APC mounted infantry group of some 223 personnel and 11 personnel in staff posts at KFOR headquarters.

Ireland has participated in EUFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina since December 2004, the successor mission to the stabilisation force in Bosnia and Herzegovina with which Ireland had previously been serving since 1997. The Irish contingent with EUFOR currently comprises 44 personnel. The role of the Defence Forces personnel currently serving in EUFOR is to provide personnel for the headquarters, the military police unit, verification teams and the national support element. All Irish personnel are located at Camp Butmir, Sarajevo.

With regard to future deployments, Ireland occasionally receives requests for participation in various missions and these are considered on a case-by-case basis. When considering any particular request, the existence of realistic objectives and a clear mandate, which has the potential to contribute to a political solution, consideration of how the mission relates to the priorities of Irish foreign policy and the degree of risk involved are among the factors considered.

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