Results 10,021-10,040 of 12,604 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Defence Forces Equipment. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: On 25 September 2007, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1778 establishing a multidimensional UN mission in Chad and the Central African Republic that will help strengthen security in the region. Resolution 1778 (2007) establishes the mission, to be known as MINURCAT, for a period of one year, with a mandate focusing on the security and protection of civilians,...

Defence Forces Equipment. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: Deputy Deenihan is right about the isolation of this mission. I understand the terrain is barren and that the deployment and sustainment of the troops must be done mainly by air. That will involve putting in airstrips and so on, which we are discussing with the French, pending the final decision on the mission. Without wishing to be flippant, I would procure anything if the Department of...

Defence Forces Equipment. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The Army has participated in humanitarian missions and has arrived at the destinations quite effectively. I will consider the Deputy's comments. A new White Paper is to be prepared which will cover the period after 2010. The first White Paper runs up to 2009-10. This will cover better equipment, more modernisation and this aircraft may well be included.

Bullying in the Workplace. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The independent monitoring group in its report Response to the Challenge of a Workplace stated that a professional review of progress within the Defence Forces should take place in 2007 and that it should be published. The report also suggested that a group representative of military management, PDFORRA, RACO, the Department of Defence and external expertise should conduct such a review. I...

Bullying in the Workplace. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The Doyle report was presented in 2002 and a review carried out in 2004. The Deputy is correct to state the next review was scheduled for 2007. However, the Department has encountered a couple of internal staff difficulties that have delayed matters. It is untrue to state it is simply waiting for the appointment of an external person. It is engaged in drawing up the terms of reference. I...

Bullying in the Workplace. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: There will not be any let-up in implementing the specific recommendations, many of which are in place. As the Deputy correctly identified, the review's purpose is to ascertain how well they are working. My information is they are working very well. However, I look forward to the review which I am sure will bear that out.

Defence Forces Recruitment. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The White Paper on Defence of February 2000 sets out a figure of 10,500 personnel for the Permanent Defence Force, comprising 930 for the Air Corps, 1,144 for the Naval Service and 8,426 for the Army. The White Paper also provided that the Chief of Staff could maintain an additional 250 in training at any one time. The latter provision was withdrawn in 2003. The agreed programme for...

Defence Forces Recruitment. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I am certain and satisfied the system is in place to train personnel to maintain the Army at its present level. However, to avoid misunderstandings arising regarding the figure of 350, recruitment to the Army is ongoing. For example, the number who applied to be enlisted in 2004 was just short of 2,000. The corresponding figures for 2005, 2006 and 2007 were 1,125, nearly 2,500 and...

Defence Forces Recruitment. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I do not have the figures for 2008 as yet. However, I will find out what I can and forward the information to the Deputy. Last year, female membership numbered approximately 570.

Defence Forces Recruitment. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: Yes. This represents an extremely small percentage of the total. I understand the number of female cadets in the military is approximately double the number of female enlisted personnel. The Deputy is aware I have reduced the height requirements in a measure that has just taken effect. The Department has conducted some research etc. that it is analysing to put in place its...

Ombudsman for the Defence Forces. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 and 14 together. The Ombudsman for the Defence Forces, Ms Paulynn Marrinan Quinn SC, launched her first annual report on 15 May last. The report covers the period from December 2005 to December 2006, inclusive. The creation of the Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces which became operational on 1 December 2005 represented a major historical...

Ombudsman for the Defence Forces. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: Obviously I have no control over what sort of cases go to the ombudsman. Deputy O'Shea is correct that only one case out of the 26 cases considered last year related to bullying or sexual harassment. I understand that the ombudsman could not consider that case because it was outside her remit for procedural reasons. I would look at it the other way. The internal procedures now are so good...

Ombudsman for the Defence Forces. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: Deputy O'Shea has a point, but there are handbooks, guidelines and strategy statements, there is the A7 personnel directive, and anti-bullying measures are imbedded in all education courses in the Army. The ombudsman is a final, statutorily independent court of appeal if people are not satisfied with how they get on internally. They can make the complaint in a number of ways internally but...

Ombudsman for the Defence Forces. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The terms under which people make informal complaints make specific provision that no one is victimised or intimidated, that his or her career will not suffer, etc. These provisions are written down as part of the regulations that officers investigating complaints must take into account. They must also be taken into account when people are being considered for future promotions. I counted...

Ombudsman for the Defence Forces. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: As Deputy Deenihan will be aware, the vast majority of complaints to the ombudsman relate to selecting people for career courses, for overseas service and for promotion. I do not know whether the latter category contained accusations that people were not promoted simply because of their gender. I do not have the details about the complaints. I stated that the ombudsman is statutorily...

Ombudsman for the Defence Forces. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I possess general figures on the total number of complaints being made but I do not know whether they include informal complaints. For example, 96 complaints of harassment and bullying were made in 2006 and the figure will be higher in 2007. However, the number of complaints getting as far as the ombudsman is still quite small. From that point of view, in the context of the overall...

Bullying in the Workplace. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 11 together. The Defence Forces and the Department have taken a wide variety of initiatives and have devoted extensive resources to this issue since Dr. Eileen Doyle and the external advisory committee presented their original report, The Challenge of a Workplace, in March 2002. This independent report addressed the entire range of interpersonal issues...

Bullying in the Workplace. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I do not wish to mention timeframes which I will subsequently be asked about in the House. There are some indications the change in the height requirements is having a beneficial effect. As a result of this change, slightly more than 90% of the female population is now eligible to join the Army. That is an increase from the previous level of 65%. Based on research carried out, we will be...

Bullying in the Workplace. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The deadline has been missed by a couple of months. I am sorry but this is not a major crisis. What is important is that the recommendations of the Dáil committee are being put in place and are being implemented. I am sure the report will show that. I am satisfied the Army will inform me if difficulties arise on the training side in terms of the number of instructors or in regard to other...

Bullying in the Workplace. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I wish PDFORRA would bring these allegations to my attention. I read about this in the newspaper but even though I frequently meet individual members of PDFORRA — I will meet them at the national conference next week — nobody has brought this matter directly to my attention. I say that as a matter of certainty. I see no evidence of it. If something like that is happening, there are...