Results 10,941-10,960 of 12,604 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I asked that the Bill be dealt with before to the recess because discussions are taking place with the Swedes and the other possible participants in the Nordic battle group and time is of the essence. The fact it must be passed before the recess means we could spend the next two weeks debating it, and I do not decide on that.

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I will answer the questions the Deputy asked me. If he is right in saying we have no authority to send out forces which are only authorised by the United Nations, a point on which I do not agree with him, he would still be wrong in his statement that there is nobody abroad serving legally because the force in Liberia, which is our largest force, was established by the United Nations.

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: With regard to the other matters concerning training and whether there will be training and exercises, that will all be dealt with on Second and Committee Stages of the legislation. The Deputy's point about a force being authorised rather than established is not relevant to battle groups because our contribution to a battle group will take place only after the legislation has been passed, and...

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I did not hear the Deputy.

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: We are now debating sections of the Bill.

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I assure the Deputy we will have ample time to debate all these matters next week and the week after.

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: On the question of the deadline of 7 July, we are literally the last into the field in terms of a contribution to a battle group, about which I have taken a certain amount of criticism.

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: It is not our fault.

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: It is not the Government's fault either. We had certain legislative and technical difficulties to overcome and we have done that, and people are literally waiting for a decision. On the last occasion I answered questions in the House, I gave an undertaking that this legislation would be through the Houses hopefully by the summer recess. I could not guarantee that but I said that was my...

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: It will depend on the circumstances of the mission. In regard to what the Deputy said about a force being endorsed, supported, sanctioned and so on, the law provides and will continue to provide that we will only commission troops on international peacekeeping operations if the United Nations directs that we do so. Everybody knows the United Nations want troops to keep the peace or to prevent...

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The advice on that matter has been given by the Attorney General with reference to a particular article in the Constitution. The advice is that those people are not unconstitutionally allowed to come here whereas contingents of troops coming here bearing arms would be unconstitutional.

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Deputy Costello has already asked me for that and I have told him I will try to procure it.

Defence Forces Retirement. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 78 together. There is no judicial decision of the courts relating to the compulsory retirement of the individual concerned from the Permanent Defence Force in 1969, nor is there a judicial decision that fair procedures were not followed with regard to the retirement of the individual from the Permanent Defence Force in 1969. The High Court judgment of 27...

Defence Forces Retirement. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The fact somebody is dismissed from the Army does not automatically mean he or she was unfairly dismissed.

Defence Forces Retirement. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The Judge Advocate General's report was quashed on the basis that proper procedures were not followed. It would be impossible to reconstitute that procedure because the nature of the court decision was that the type of inquiry necessary is not appropriate. It would be an inquiry where, on one side, the applicant gives oral evidence, but on the other side, we would have only the dusty archives...

Defence Forces Recruitment. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I have recently received the military authorities' report, which I commissioned, on the minimum height standards for Defence Forces personnel. It was prepared in the context of encouraging more women to apply to join the Defence Forces and deals comprehensively with the complex issues relating to this matter. As such, it requires careful consideration. In the light of this report, I will...

Defence Forces Recruitment. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: While it may be correct for Deputy Timmins to state that the report was completed several weeks ago, I have only seen it in recent days. I have been busy doing other things and it may be that other people were also busy and did not hand it to me. I am engaged in consultations in this regard and can assure the Deputy that a decision will be made very quickly. I must resolve a number of...

Defence Forces Recruitment. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: It is true that some armies, including the United States army, have significantly lower height requirements for entry than the Irish Army. However, the difference is that armies such as the United States army and the British army have a number of different divisions which are permitted to perform different tasks. Women do not have access to all activities whereas, uniquely, in the Irish Army,...

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The statutory authority for the dispatch of contingents of the Permanent Defence Force for service overseas is provided for in the Defence (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1960 and the Defence (Amendment) Act 1993. The Defence (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1960, as amended by the Defence (Amendment) Act 1993, authorises, subject to the prior approval of Dáil Éireann, the dispatch of a contingent of the...

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I will be glad to.