Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to inform the Deputy that currently there are 551 women serving in the Permanent Defence Force, amounting to 6.1% of serving personnel. There are currently 496 personnel serving overseas. There are 20 women overseas on UN peacekeeping duties and five females are deployed on humanitarian operations by the Naval Service in the Mediterranean on Operation Pontus. This amounts to 5.04% of the overseas personnel. The Irish unit commander to UNDOF, in charge of the 54th infantry group is female, Lieutenant Colonel Mary Carroll. This is the first time a female has commanded a mixed operational infantry unit on a United Nations' peacekeeping mission.

In Donegal a couple of weeks ago I reviewed the personnel of the 109th infantry battalion travelling to Lebanon for service with United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, in which there was a total of 21 female personnel travelling out as part of the Irish unit. It is great for the Permanent Defence Forces that we are able to attract women into the organisation. I really believe that women add a different dimension to the leadership and peacekeeping participation.

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