Results 10,701-10,720 of 12,604 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Overseas Missions. (12 Oct 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 5 together. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, was originally established on 19 March 1978 under United Nations Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426, following the invasion of Lebanon by Israel, with a mandate "to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces, to restore international peace and security and to assist the government of...

Overseas Missions. (12 Oct 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I will clarify the situation on deployment for Deputy Timmins. The first advance party, consisting of four specialist personnel will travel to Lebanon on 14 October, that is, next week, to make the necessary advance contacts at ports, airports and so on. The second advance party, consisting of 35 personnel, will deploy to Beirut on 24 October and the balance will leave on either 30 or 31...

Overseas Missions. (12 Oct 2006)

Willie O'Dea: No, I was unarmed that day. I was armed only with my genius.

Overseas Missions. (12 Oct 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Deputy Timmins asked if I plan to visit the troops in Lebanon. I will do so, after they deploy, around mid to late November.

Overseas Missions. (12 Oct 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The mandate is more robust. In my reply I quoted the terms of the UN resolution laying out the mandate for UNIFIL. It includes the phrase "to resist attempts by forceful means to prevent it from discharging its duties under the mandate of the Security Council". This is not a typical run-of-the-mill Chapter VI-type resolution. Chapter VI-type resolutions generally come into play when a...

Overseas Missions. (12 Oct 2006)

Willie O'Dea: On Deputy Gormley's question, I would imagine "yes" is the answer. The Palestinian question cannot just be syphoned off. On the question of overseas allowances, I said at the PDFORRA annual conference that if the association were to request an increase in overseas allowances, it would be considered most sympathetically.

Defence Forces Personnel. (12 Oct 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The Naval Service is the maritime element of the Defence Forces and has a general responsibility to meet contingent and actual maritime defence requirements. The Naval Service operates eight general purpose patrol ships. All eight ships are involved in coastal and offshore patrolling and surveillance for the State in that part of the seas where State jurisdiction applies, such as internal...

Defence Forces Personnel. (12 Oct 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Deputy Costello is right. It is a big tome and it took me a long time to plough through it. I do not necessarily accept all the conclusions in the report. We do not have time to engage in a long debate on its intricate details, but I note that the situation seems to have worsened somewhat in recent times. I accept Deputy Costello's point that PDFORRA and the Naval Service are of the view...

Defence Forces Personnel. (12 Oct 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I suppose one could say I am formally reviewing matters. That committee is formally reviewing it. Its members are working together to come up with a better way of doing things. Nothing can be done in the interim. We are making an attempt to get a more humane system. However, I do not necessarily accept all the conclusions in the report, as I said. For example, if one takes the number of...

Overseas Missions. (12 Oct 2006)

Willie O'Dea: As the Deputy is aware, I undertook during Priority Questions on Thursday, 23 February 2006 to ask the military authorities to revisit this matter in light of the questions raised by him on that date. The Chief of Staff appointed a senior officer to examine all aspects of the Niemba ambush in the Congo in November 1960. Due to the diversity of this investigation, this process has taken some...

Overseas Missions. (12 Oct 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Deputy Finian McGrath is somewhat premature with some of those questions. He is asking whether I will correct the official version if the report finds that it is incorrect. I have not read the report yet, as it has not come to hand. I do not want to anticipate what is in it. If the report points out that the official version is wrong, of course we will deal with it. If I said anything...

Overseas Missions. (12 Oct 2006)

Willie O'Dea: It has been a very detailed and diverse professional inquiry. That is why it has taken up to eight months.

Defence Forces Ombudsman. (12 Oct 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces was established under the Ombudsman (Defence Forces) Act 2004. On 19 September 2005, Ms Paulyn Marrinan-Quinn SC was appointed by the President, upon the recommendation of the Government, as the first Ombudsman for the Defence Forces. The function of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces is to act as the ultimate point of appeal for an...

Defence Forces Ombudsman. (12 Oct 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Again, I am not attempting to avoid answering Deputy Timmins's question, but the Office for the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces is modelled on the public services Ombudsman. The public services Ombudsman gives an annual report to the Dáil outlining the complaints she received and how they were dealt with by the relevant Departments. Under the legislation, the Ombudsman will hear the...

Defence Forces Property. (12 Oct 2006)

Willie O'Dea: There are no plans to construct a training hall in Thurles, County Tipperary for the Reserve Defence Force. The military authorities inform me that the current facility in Thurles meets the needs of the RDF. My Department was approached some time ago by a developer who wished to access his adjoining property through a portion of the RDF property in Thurles. However, no agreement has been...

Defence Forces Property. (12 Oct 2006)

Willie O'Dea: To answer the first of Deputy Costello's questions, no agreement has been entered into by, or on behalf of, the Department with any third party. The matter was subject of an application to the local authority for planning permission and that permission, subject to conditions, was granted some time ago. One of the conditions stipulated that the development must be carried out solely within...

Defence Forces Property. (12 Oct 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The military has informed me that the current accommodation is quite suitable. Refurbishment works have been carried out in the RDF facilities in Thurles this year. As a result of the modernisation, the facilities now include offices, a lecture room and a reception area. It is intended to provide modern office furniture, floor covering and IT facilities in 2007.

Defence Forces Property. (12 Oct 2006)

Willie O'Dea: It is going pretty well and we are on target. It is currently under review and we have not had too many complaints. However, when involved in a process such as this, one will inevitably get some complaints. We are doing our best to meet any complaints that arise.

Overseas Missions. (12 Oct 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 12, 41, 46, 57, 59, 177 and 178 together. I have on many occasions in the House set out the background to EU battle groups, the development of which is strongly endorsed by the United Nations, and Ireland's position on them. Following the Government decision agreeing to Ireland entering into discussions with like-minded nations on a possible contribution...

Overseas Missions. (12 Oct 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Deputy Ó Snodaigh referred to the speech by the general secretary of PDFORRA. I am very familiar with the speech; I listened to it as it was delivered and, along with everybody else in the hall, applauded enthusiastically when it ended. It was a very good speech. Regarding compulsory deployment, the general position has been that when the Army wants people to take part in an overseas...