Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

Ireland has offered, through the United Nations Standby Arrangements System, UNSAS, to provide up to 850 military personnel for overseas service at any one time. This demonstrates Ireland's commitment to the cause of international peace. This is the maximum sustainable commitment that Ireland can make to overseas peacekeeping operations. Ireland is currently contributing 440 Defence Forces personnel to 12 different missions throughout the world. Full details of all personnel currently serving overseas are listed in the following table.

The main overseas missions, in which Defence Forces personnel are currently deployed, are the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) with 356 personnel, the NATO-led international security presence, KFOR, in Kosovo with 12 personnel, the EU Training Mission, EUTM, Somalia with ten personnel, the EU-led operation ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with seven personnel, and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, ISAF, in Afghanistan with seven personnel.

Ireland will participate with 175 Defence Forces personnel in the Austro-German led battlegroup which will be on standby from 1 July 2012 to 31 December 2012. Ireland has received an invitation from the operational commander of operation EUNAVFOR ATALANTA to contribute an autonomous vessel protection detachment, AVPD, to the operation. The Department is considering whether it will be in a position to do so.

Over the past two years, Irish personnel serving with KFOR in Kosovo and the EU-led Operation ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina have been drawn down in line with the Government decision in December 2009 to scale back Defence Forces commitments to overseas peace support operations as one of the budgetary expenditure reduction measures.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

Planning for the deployment of a contingent of the Finnish armed forces with the Irish battalion in UNIFIL has been ongoing over the past number of months. This has culminated in the formation of a joint Irish/Finnish battalion in UNIFIL, which became fully operational with effect from 1 June 2012. The deployment of the Finnish contingent with the Irish battalion has resulted in the rationalisation of the Irish contribution to UNIFIL from 454 to 356 Defence Forces personnel. Subject to renewal of the mission mandate by the UN Security Council, it is proposed to maintain this level of commitment to UNIFIL for the next three years. There are no plans for any major reductions in the Defence Forces current commitments to overseas peace support operations at this time. The current contribution of some 440 personnel to overseas missions reflects the Government's continued commitment to our responsibilities in the area of international peace and security.

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