Results 10,301-10,320 of 12,604 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

National Emergency Plan. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The task force meets every five weeks, on average. I envisage that a hotline, staffed by people using a bank of telephone facilities, will be made available to the public in the event of an emergency.

Defence Forces Recruitment. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The day-to-day administration of recruitment to the Defence Forces is the responsibility of the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces. One can enter the Permanent Defence Force through the cadetship competition, the apprenticeship competition, the general service enlistment process or the direct entry competitions which are held to fill vacancies in specialist areas. If an unsuccessful...

Defence Forces Recruitment. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I do not have figures pertaining to the number of people who make second applications. I can get that information for the Deputy. As of 2 March last, some 1,154 applications had been made to join the Defence Forces. Just 66 of those applications were found to be unsuitable. If one's application is deemed to be unsuitable, one does not get past first base. One might be deemed unsuitable...

Defence Forces Recruitment. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: Under certain provisions in the Defence Forces' regulations, certain categories of people are deemed to be unsuitable from a security perspective. I can give the Deputy a copy of the regulations if he wishes. The regulations stipulate that a person who has been convicted of a serious criminal offence by the Special Criminal Court, or by a civil court, are not eligible for enlistment in the...

Defence Forces Recruitment. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The same applies for applicants to the Garda Síochána and they must also undergo a security check. The system is exactly equivalent for applicants to the Army except that military intelligence is involved even though I imagine this involvement is peripheral and merely a formality. The Garda record of an applicant is what is taken into account. The suggestion made by Deputy Costello and...

Defence Forces Recruitment. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: We will not wrangle about it. Viewed objectively it seems rather harsh that somebody who has had a minor brush with the law several years ago which might not even have resulted in a conviction or else merely the application of the Probation Act, are told out of the blue they are unsuitable to join the Defence Forces even though they have turned their lives around or there is no other blemish...

Defence Forces Recruitment. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The strength of the Permanent Defence Force on 31 January 2007, the latest date for which detailed figures are available, as advised by the military authorities was 10,426. The current projected figure for recruitment to the Permanent Defence Force in 2007 is in the region of 560 general service recruits and 40 apprentices. The number of cadets to be recruited is currently under...

Defence Forces Recruitment. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I am satisfied the Army is at sufficient strength as outlined in the White Paper to satisfy all our overseas commitments. However, Ireland has a standing commitment to deploy up to 10% of its standing Army overseas at any one time, being a total of approximately 850 troops. The current number is 808 which must be as near to the maximum as we have ever reached since we entered into that...

Defence Forces Recruitment. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I will certainly consider the matter. I have had no complaints in that regard from the military. I understand the recruitment of apprentices is taking place as normal and as is needed. In answer to Deputy Timmins with regard to Lebanon, I did not receive any request when I was there to either extend the period of the Irish troops being there or to expand the force. The United Nations...

Defence Forces Recruitment. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I met people from all over the country. I cannot recall specifically whether any of them was from Tallaght. If I have occasion to visit there again, I will make representations on Deputy O'Connor's behalf. There were 1,154 applicants for enlistment to the Permanent Defence Force, of whom 66 have been found to be unsuitable. With regard to the upper age limits, an applicant for a cadetship...

Defence Forces Recruitment. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: We have direct entry competitions for professionals such as doctors, dentists, engineers and so on. The point I tried to make in Lebanon — perhaps I did not make it articulately enough — was that there was a fundamental difference between the Irish Army and the Finnish army which is largely a conscript army. People are called up as and when it needs them. Some 80% consists of...

Defence Forces Strength. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 88, 94, 102, 122, 299 and 305 together. The White Paper on Defence of 2000 provides for a Permanent Defence Force strength of 10,500, comprising 8,426 for the Army, 1,144 for the Naval Service and 930 for the Air Corps. It is my intention to maintain the established Government policy of ongoing recruitment to the Defence Forces. Recruitment to the Permanent...

Defence Forces Strength. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I accept the Deputy's point but it is not just a question of cost. Similar arguments are often made with regard to experienced members of the detective branch of the Garda Síochána. When an officer reaches a certain age, he or she knows where to look when a crime is committed. Nevertheless, such officers must retire at that age and their expertise is lost. There are certain upper...

Defence Forces Strength. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I will look into whether it can be done and will talk to the relevant people.

Defence Forces Strength. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The current number is based on the White Paper. We decided to reduce the numbers in the Army by approximately 1,000 and to put the savings made into better training and equipment, which we have done. It was envisaged that the situation would continue for the duration of the White Paper until the end of 2009 and there are no plans to change the maximum strength of the Army until that point.

Defence Forces Strength. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: People from different backgrounds can join the Army — one does not have to be an Irish citizen.

Defence Forces Strength. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: At the moment that is the case. However, some changes have recently been made to the cadet competition which will open the door to refugees, nationals of EEA states and nationals of any other state who have been lawfully present in Ireland for five years, among others. If somebody who is not an Irish citizen applies to become a cadet it requires special clearance from the Minister but,...

Leaders' Questions (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The Labour Party cut corporate taxes.

Leaders' Questions (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: Although the Deputy is 100 years out of date, he is consistent.

Written Answers — Defence Forces Recruitment: Defence Forces Recruitment (6 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: There are no vacancies for tradesmen at the Naval Dockyard, Haulbowline, Co. Cork.