Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 69 and 94 together.

A member of the Defence Forces was injured in an incident involving the use of a short range anti-armour weapon at Kilworth Camp on 3 June 2009. A formation accident investigation team was established by the general officer commanding the Southern Brigade to investigate the incident. A formation accident investigation team is normally established in situations of this nature to examine the incident from a health and safety viewpoint. The purpose of such investigations, which are primarily preventative, is to discover the cause of incidents and to collect statistical data so corrective action be taken to prevent a recurrence of them.

Following completion of the initial report prepared by the investigation team, all employment and safety instructions were reviewed and amended as necessary. In accordance with Defence Forces regulations, a court of inquiry was also established to investigate the incident. The report compiled by the court of inquiry was received by the general officer commanding the Southern Brigade in November 2009. The general officer commanding the Southern Brigade forwarded the report to the Defence Forces' director of administration at the beginning of this month. The matter was referred to the director of legal service on 5 February 2010 for his comments and recommendations. The report remains under the consideration of the director of legal service who will make recommendations to the deputy chief of staff, support.

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