Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

There are a number of issues in the Deputy's statement. I do not know whether this restriction is being imposed on other missions, but I can find out for him. The force commander has a responsibility and a duty of care to look out for the health and safety of troops under his command. The reality in Chad is that the ground is extremely hard. Some of the sports are played out on open ground and when people fall, it tends to have a much greater impact on their bodies than falling in a field in Ireland, where the ground is not nearly as hard. While we would prefer it if there was no ban on any type of sporting activity, the force commander has a duty of care for the health and safety of the troops under his command. It is not a question of finance, but a question of the health and safety of the troops under the commander's jurisdiction.

The force commander is the person in place on the ground. He knows what is more likely to endanger health and safety and what is likely to do so. The force commander imposes these detailed rules and keeps the situation under ongoing review. It would not be appropriate for me to be trying to designate one sport over another in Chad from a safe distance in Dublin. I have been informed by the military that the force commander in Chad is trying to be as flexible as possible. While rugby probably is not allowed, as it is a very physical game, football kick-abouts are allowed. I can ascertain the precise nature of what is allowed but it is a matter more appropriate to the force commander on the ground.

I believe 34 or 35 troops have been repatriated so far. The grounds on which they were repatriated are divided equally between medical grounds and humanitarian grounds. There was one case that did not fall into either category, as I believe the person was simply asked to go home. The individual mentioned by the Deputy broke his collar bone. He had to be repatriated at short notice. The cost was high, as the medic had to travel with him and come back again. The cost of the return flight was included in that. Commercial air companies charge in accordance with the amount of notice. The shorter the notice, the greater the charge. By definition, theses things are done at very short notice. The cost for the other 33 or 34 people who were repatriated is much less per individual, and the total cost for them was around €60,000.

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