Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 81: To ask the Minister for Defence the estimated cost to the Exchequer of the Army mission to Chad; if any of the costs will be met by either the United Nations or the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26022/08]

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Question 91: To ask the Minister for Defence the nature of the air support provided to the Defence Forces in Chad and its origins and cost; if it is operated by members of the Irish Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25953/08]

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 100: To ask the Minister for Defence if he will report on the adequacy of equipment and in particular vehicles being used by Irish troops serving with EUFOR in Chad; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26024/08]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 104: To ask the Minister for Defence if the Defence Forces are satisfied with the level of air support being provided by the French to Irish forces serving with EUFOR in Chad; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26029/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 112: To ask the Minister for Defence the extent to which the Chad deployment is operating as planned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25951/08]

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 116: To ask the Minister for Defence if it is intended to extend the mandate of the Irish contingent serving with EUFOR beyond March 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26025/08]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 119: To ask the Minister for Defence the proposed role of the two Ukrainian crewed helicopters hired to support Irish troops serving with EUFOR in Chad; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26030/08]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 125: To ask the Minister for Defence if the mandate of the Irish contingent serving with EUFOR includes an obligation to protect humanitarian staff working in the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26026/08]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 77, 81, 91, 96, 100, 104, 112, 116, 119 and 125 together.

Ireland has deployed 411 personnel to the UN-mandated European Union military mission to Chad and the Central African Republic. Some 371 personnel are deployed with the 97th Infantry Battalion in Goz Beida in the south east of Chad, 22 personnel are deployed in the force's headquarters in Chad and 18 personnel, including Lt. Gen. Pat Nash, are deployed in Paris. The EU force, as defined in UN Security Council Resolution 1778, is authorised to support the UN by contributing to the protection of civilians in danger, particularly refugees and displaced persons. The mission is mandated to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and the free movement of humanitarian personnel by helping to improve security in the area of operations. The mission is also mandated to contribute to protecting UN personnel, facilities, installations and equipment and ensuring the security and freedom of movement of its staff and associated personnel.

The mandate for this mission is robust and will be conducted under Chapter VII of the UN charter. The rules of engagement for a Chapter VII mission allow for the use of all necessary force to ensure the success of the mission. Therefore, the EU force is authorised to support the UN and take all necessary measures within its capabilities and area of operation to fulfil its functions. I have previously outlined the size of the Irish battalion's area of responsibility. In light of the size of the area of operations, it needs to be understood that the Defence Forces cannot be everywhere at the same time. Ongoing patrolling, surveillance, intelligence and monitoring of the situation, including contacts with the local population and village leaders, will enable the contingent to develop a situational awareness that will help it to direct and target its operations and patrol plans. The deployment of helicopters to Goz Beida will enable the Defence Forces to project troops forward quickly. They can also call on air assets as required.

The theatre of operations for the Chad deployment poses serious logistical challenges due to the nature of the operation and the mission area and environment. Force protection will, as always, be a key consideration. The Defence Forces will have all the required military hardware to fulfil their role in the mission. They have deployed a full range of force protection assets, including 17 Mowag armoured personnel carriers and four close reconnaissance vehicles and indirect fire capabilities, namely, mortars. These will provide the necessary armoured protection, mobility, firepower and communications. The Defence Forces have also deployed a suite of robust tactical communications systems.

As the House will be aware, significant investment has been made in Defence Forces equipment in recent years to provide them with the most modern equipment to undertake tasks assigned to them by the Government. The equipment issued to the Defence Forces is in keeping with the most modern requirements from the health and safety perspective. Ongoing investment in the Defence Forces will ensure this remains the case and will continue to be a key focus for me as Minister for Defence.

Regarding air support for the Irish contingent, the Defence Forces have contracted through a UK company for the supply of two Ukrainian Mi8T helicopters which arrived in the theatre on 28 June. They are being used mainly for operational deployment, while also facilitating the rapid movement of supplies, stores and equipment from the forward logistic base in Abéché to the battalion base in Goz Beida. The contract value will depend on the number of hours flown by the helicopters over the duration of the contract but is expected to be in the order of €3 million to end March 2009.

EUFOR also has four French attack helicopters and five French Puma helicopters in the theatre which are under the operational control of the operational commander. The French also supply to EUFOR one reconnaissance mission per day by a Mirage, as well as having two Mirages on standby for close air support. The Polish battalion has three Mi17 helicopters in the theatre. In addition, EUFOR is arranging for the supply of four further utility helicopters.

The estimated cost to the Defence Vote arising from participation in this mission for 12 months will amount to approximately €57 million. Provision to meet the additional costs of the operation has been made in the Defence Vote for 2008. Unlike a UN blue hat-type operation, all the costs of deployment, repatriation, rotation and sustainment, together with strategic and in-theatre tactical lift of the contingent, are met by each of the relevant troop contributing countries. The only costs met by contributions from EU member states are generally those of establishing and operating the headquarters facilities.

The EUFOR mission in Chad is mandated to run for a 12-month period, to 15 March 2009. It is envisaged that a UN-led blue helmet mission will replace the present EUFOR mission thereafter. The Government is committed to retaining troops in Chad up to March 2009. No decision has been made on whether we will continue in Chad after that date.

The mid-point review of the operation of the EUFOR mission is due to be completed in August. At that point discussions will commence on the successor mission and how the hand-over to the new mission can be conducted, while ensuring continuity of security and humanitarian assistance for both refugees and displaced persons.

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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A person who has a relation in Chad has informed me that it is the roughest and toughest area to which the Irish Army has been deployed. Every assistance should be given to the troops.

Six extra helicopters had to be hired, two by the Irish Army and four by the United Nations. Is this extra to what was envisaged in the first instance as being necessary? Did the French renege on their original promise to provide helicopters? The Minister mentioned four or five aircraft under different guises. Were they what the French had promised originally? If the three Polish helicopters are included, was the total number part of the first package? There was some doubt in the initial stages and the Minister did not at first agree to Army personnel going to Chad unless there was a proper air service. Are the six extra helicopters required because of what the Army has seen in its operations, or are they required because the French did not supply the necessary number as promised? Were the three Polish helicopters part of the original agreement the Minister obtained from the United Nations before the Defence Forces went to Chad?

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I agree with the Deputy's comment about the terrain in Chad. It is certainly the roughest I have ever seen. It was a wonderful operation to have transported all the equipment and the camp set up so quickly in such a remote part of the world.

Regarding air support and logistical backup, the position is that we knew in advance what the operation commander's advice was and also that of our own military personnel. We needed a certain amount of air support to declare initial operational capability. We also envisaged that we would need some extra support as time passed.

The Deputy and the House will be aware that we had great difficulty in mustering the requisite air support. As Members can see from the figures I gave, the French are doing quite a lot. It was not only the French from whom we requested air support. This is an EU-led mission and all member states were contacted. Unfortunately, as Members can judge, assistance from most of the bigger countries was not forthcoming. I listened to a considerable number of lectures recently during the Lisbon referendum campaign about the European Union becoming too militarised. It took us almost 12 months to find a mere 3,700 troops with the requisite backup to save people's lives in Chad. That certainly does not suggest a militarised European Union to me.

We are hiring helicopters, which is not unprecedented in the case of a peace mission, although it is unusual. We had hoped our fellow EU countries would come up to the mark. We knew we had to get those helicopters and had hoped it would not be necessary to hire them on the open market. However, we were prepared to do so, if required. Other countries did not step up to the mark, which is why we had to hire the aircraft.

As Deputies can see, the theatre of operations is very big. Nevertheless, we know where the refugee camps are and where the internally displaced people are located. When we have the four extra utility helicopters, we will have plenty of air support.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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I agree with the Minister and Deputy Wall that air support is critical. I understand it is the beginning of the rainy season in Chad and it will be impossible to travel overland in jeeps or 4WDs. Therefore, air support and transport are essential if the troops are to carry out their functions properly.

I have three questions. First, I understand the issue originally raised by the UN spokesperson concerned the protection of humanitarian staff working in Chad, which caused some confusion at the time. Will the Minister clarify that, apart from protecting refugees and the camps, the Irish mission's brief is to protect humanitarian workers in the vicinity of the camps? It is important to have this clarified. The Minister mentioned the subject in his reply.

Second, a matter I raised earlier, two UAV spy drones went missing.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Deputy should pose his question.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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How many are left? Were the drones replaced?

My third question concerns air transport capability. If Defence Forces personnel are to serve on similar missions, should we not obtain our own air transport which not alone could be used on such missions but also employed in our huge humanitarian aid programme, in the process giving us more independence and certainty? It would also save money in the long run.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The first question, on the extent of the brief of EUFOR in Chad, is important. Its brief is to protect refugees and internally displaced persons, of whom there are approximately 450,000. It also has a mandate to protect UN personnel, equipment and installations. It is not just a matter of protecting the lives of people in the camps but also of ensuring the flow of aid to them is not interrupted. This involves a specific mandate to protect NGOs and UN personnel.

On the question of whether we have replaced the drones, I understand we have. One of them appears to have malfunctioned. We are discussing the issue with the supplier. As the Deputy knows, we have a number of drones. As far as I know, we have replaced them but I will double check for the Deputy.

With regard to acquiring our own air transport, we must consider the question of value for money. I take the Deputy's point that the humanitarian aid element could be included in this regard. The matter will be considered in the context of the new White Paper on defence which we will start preparing shortly. To date, we have not gone down this road because we have generally been advised that we would not have enough work for the equipment in question to justify the cost of acquisition and maintenance.

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Has any unpredicted logistical problem arisen because of the terrain or other problems? Is the Minister planning further visits to Chad? At our last Question Time Deputy Deenihan asked about telephone calls home by Irish troops in Chad and the Minister said he would investigate the matter. What is the position in this regard?

The Minister has obviously seen conditions on the ground at first hand. It is only right that we should congratulate everyone involved in this considerable operation. It is the toughest ever and everyone involved must be congratulated as a consequence.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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On the problems with the terrain, one arose because Chad does not have any port, thus necessitating the shipment of much of the equipment to Douala in Cameroon, from where it had to be brought across country to Goz Beida at the other end of Chad. A certain amount of damage was done on this long journey which I understand was in excess of 2,000 km. The damage has, by and large, been repaired. I inspected certain items in kitchens etc., that should have been working when I arrived but which were not because they had been damaged in transit. This does not surprise me given the terrain. I plan to return to Chad after the rainy season to see how those on the mission are settling in.

I told Deputy Deenihan that I would raise the issue of telephone calls and when in Chad, I asked a specific question about it. I was told that, ordinarily in a four-month tour of duty, there were 45 minutes of free telephone access. In the case of a six-month tour of duty, one has 90 free minutes. However, there is now an alternative to the telephone, that is, the Internet. I was assured by the Irish force commander that, while the authorities were trying to adhere as closely as possible to the 45-minute rule, they were being fairly flexible. He told me troops had virtually unlimited access to the Internet, by way of e-mail and voicemail. There are plenty of opportunities to communicate with home.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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I raised the issue of parcels at Christmas with the Minister, which issue is very important to personnel. Has the Minister made provisions in this regard?

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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As a result of an undertaking I gave in the House on the last occasion to Deputy Deenihan, I stated I would raise the matter with the Irish commanders in Chad. I have done so and asked them to try to accommodate the delivery of parcels at Christmas. As the Deputy knows, the supply flights are to resupply necessary equipment. However, I have told the commanders that if at all possible, they should accommodate the delivery of parcels. They probably will do so.