Results 11,301-11,320 of 12,604 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Written Answers — United Nations Reform: United Nations Reform (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The context of my remarks related to the need for the UN to be able to respond rapidly to emerging crises, particularly in the context of the development of battle groups. Significant effort is being invested by EU member states to make available two battle groups on standby each semester to undertake rapid response operations in accordance with the Petersberg Tasks. The UN, which is strongly...

Written Answers — Hearing Impairment Claims: Hearing Impairment Claims (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I wrote to the Law Society of Ireland at the time of the initial queries regarding solicitors' charges in Army hearing loss litigation. In my letter, I asked the Law Society what plans it had to deal with any complaints regarding charging by solicitors in these cases. The Law Society clarified that it was the statutory body responsible for dealing with such complaints and that it had...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Reserve: Defence Forces Reserve (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: In July 2004 the Reserve Defence Force implementation plan was officially launched. This plan, which will be implemented over the period to end 2009, sets out an ambitious programme of reform and modernisation for the Reserve that will enhance both Reserve Defence Force capabilities and Permanent Defence Force-Reserve Defence Force interoperability. The new reserve organisational structures...

Written Answers — Overseas Missions: Overseas Missions (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 62 and 66 together. Ireland has participated in UNMIL since December 2003 following a decision of the Government on 24 June 2003, and the subsequent approval by Dáil Éireann of the necessary enabling motion. Since then, the UN Security Council has authorised the continuation of UNMIL for successive periods and the Government has approved continued Irish...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Recruitment: Defence Forces Recruitment (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 68 together. The Government is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for men and women in the Defence Forces — Army, Air Corps, Naval Service — including the Reserve Defence Force and to the full participation by women in all aspects of Defence Forces activities. This means women are eligible on the same basis as men for participation in...

Written Answers — EU Battle Groups: EU Battle Groups (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Most member states of the EU are also members of NATO and only have one set of forces at their disposal, which they can make available both to the EU and EU battle groups and to NATO and the NATO response force. It is reasonable and appropriate for states that are members of both organisations to ensure similar standards, procedures, training regimes, command and control arrangements etc....

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Fort Camden, Crosshaven, comprising 41 acres approximately, has been disposed of by my Department to Cork County Council for amenity purposes. The legal formalities attendant on the transfer of the property are nearing completion. The former coastguard station, Crosshaven, is vested in the Minister for Finance. The disposal of that property, which comprises 3.5 acres approximately and...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Training: Defence Forces Training (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 167 and 174 together. Significant investment has been made in Defence Forces equipment in recent years to provide them with the most modern equipment to undertake the tasks assigned to them by Government. The upgrading of their equipment, which is continuing, is designed to ensure that the Defence Forces have the necessary equipment to undertake specific...

Written Answers — Naval Service Missions: Naval Service Missions (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Naval Service assets are not offered as part of Ireland's commitment under the United Nations standby arrangements system, nor are they offered as part of our headline goal commitments. There are no plans for the involvement of Naval Service assets in overseas missions, although individual members of the Naval Service may be deployed on overseas peace support operations, as they have been in...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The Government, on 15 July 1998, approved a programme of evacuation and sale of six barracks considered surplus to military requirements. The barracks in question were located at Ballincollig, Fermoy, Castleblayney, Naas, Kildare and Islandbridge, Dublin. The value of sales and disposals completed to date in respect of the six barracks the subject of the July 1998 Government decision,...

Overseas Missions. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. The ambition of the European Union to be able to respond rapidly to emerging crises has been, and continues to be, a key objective of the development of the European Security and Defence Policy, ESDP. The tasks to be carried out under ESDP, the so-called Petersberg Tasks, are defined in the Amsterdam treaty as "humanitarian and rescue tasks,...

Overseas Missions. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Deputy Timmins has certainly raised a number of important questions. First, the funding question has arisen before. In the short term at least, I do not anticipate any increase in funding. We will stay within our limit of 850 troops and will operate from that. In other words, our total overseas commitment will not exceed our present limit of 850 troops. Second, we will also insist on the...

Overseas Missions. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: My answer was a bit long. I was trying to reply to all the different issues raised by Deputy Timmins. We hope to have the new legislation published and passed through the Houses of the Oireachtas before the summer recess. That is our plan. The new legislation will enable the Irish Government, without having a UN sanction, to send people abroad for training. It is also intended to enable the...

Overseas Missions. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Following a number of questions in the Dáil on this matter, including some from Deputy Finian McGrath, I undertook to have the military archive examined in relation to the Niemba ambush and to revert with the findings. The question arising was whether Trooper Browne was killed at the Niemba ambush or survived for a few days and was killed near a village where he was foraging for food. A...

Overseas Missions. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The book to which Deputy Finian McGrath refers draws considerably on the unit history, which contains a number of differing accounts and makes no attempt to reconcile them. When this matter was raised in the House by the Deputy and others, I asked the Army, which is the first port of call in such a situation, to examine its archives and investigate the matter generally. The Army has done so...

Overseas Missions. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Yes.

Defence Forces Recruitment. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The levels of female membership of units of the Permanent Defence Force, as advised by the military authorities are provided in the form of the following tabular statement. There are currently 528 female personnel serving in the Permanent Defence Force. The Government is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for men and women in the Defence Forces, namely, the Army, Air Corps, Naval...

Order of Business. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The Opposition will not have that problem for a long time.

Written Answers — Defence Forces Strength: Defence Forces Strength (22 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The statistical information in regard to the number of personnel, male and female, who have joined the Permanent Defence Force in each of the past five years, is set out in the following table. Year M F Total 2001 853 101 954 2002 587 51 638 2003 487 59 546 2004 604 58 662 2005 427 47 474 It is my intention to maintain the established Government policy of...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Strength: Defence Forces Strength (22 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The military authorities advise that the number of personnel who left the Defence Forces between 2001 and 2005 is as follows: Year Female Male Total 2001 59 924 983 2002 34 715 749 2003 44 555 599 2004 23 533 556 2005 35 502 537 Total 195 3,229 3,424 These figures include deceased personnel but do not include personnel who were discharged administratively...