Results 11,501-11,520 of 12,604 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The most important defence against any terrorist attack is detection and prevention by the security forces. While the Garda Síochána has the primary responsibility for law and order, one of the roles assigned to the Defence Forces is the provision of aid to the civil power, meaning in practice to assist, when requested, the Garda Síochána. The various components of the Defence Forces are...

Written Answers — Common Foreign and Security Policy: Common Foreign and Security Policy (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The Deputy cannot take my response to a previous parliamentary question and turn it on its head the way he has done here. As the Deputy is aware, the Government supports the development of the EU's rapid response capability in support of the UN. This is in keeping with our long tradition and policy of support for the UN, multilateralism and the Security Council as the lead authority for the...

Written Answers — Army Barracks: Army Barracks (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Castlebar military barracks is primarily a Reserve Defence Force facility and provides training facilities, office accommodation and storage facilities for Permanent Defence Force cadre and unit personnel of units stationed in the barracks. The military have costed the refurbishment of some buildings necessary to effect compliance with building, health and safety, and fire regulations to...

Written Answers — Common Foreign and Security Policy: Common Foreign and Security Policy (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The Defence Forces have looked at a number of options in terms of their contribution to rapid reaction forces under the Helsinki headline goal. I am not sure where the Deputy got the figure of 120 troops in the context of battlegroups. While I have yet to receive the report of the interdepartmental group, which is examining the issue of battlegroups, my understanding is that the Defence...

Written Answers — European Defence Agency: European Defence Agency (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: As the Deputy will be aware, Ireland participates in the European Defence Agency which is charged with supporting the development of capabilities in relation to battlegroups and the headline goal, supporting collaboration and rationalisation in the European defence equipment market and increasing the effectiveness of European defence expenditure, particularly in the area of research and...

Written Answers — Overseas Missions: Overseas Missions (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Ireland is currently contributing 730 Defence Forces personnel to 19 different missions throughout the world, full details are as listed in the following tabular statement. The main commitments are to the United Nations Mission in Liberia, UNMIL, with 403 personnel, the NATO-led international security presence, KFOR, in Kosovo, with 202 personnel, and EUFOR, the EU-led operation in Bosnia and...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I do not concur with the views expressed by PDFORRA at its recent annual conference in Athlone on the subject of defence expenditure with particular regard to spending on modern equipment. The position is that there has been an unprecedented level of expenditure on infrastructure and equipment for the Defence Forces in recent years and it is my clear intention to continue with the investment...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: In the period from 1997 to date, capital building projects undertaken in the Curragh Camp cost a total of approximately €78 million. A significant number of projects were funded from the barrack re-investment programme which commenced in 1999 to provide the Defence Forces with operational, living and recreational accommodation suitable to the needs of a modern military organisation. The...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme. : Decentralisation Programme. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: My Department's Dublin offices are located at Infirmary Road and Mobhi Road on the north side of Dublin and both are scheduled to decentralise to Newbridge, County Kildare. While the Office of Public Works has identified a suitable site in Newbridge, negotiations on the acquisition of the site have not yet been completed. For this reason, it is not possible to say precisely when the move will...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: As the Deputy is aware, the Government decided on 1 July 2003 that lands at Magee Barracks, Kildare, would be among the State lands released for inclusion in the Sustaining Progress affordable housing initiative. The question of the taking in charge by Kildare County Council of the former married quarters estates at St. Barbara's Park, Melitta Terrace and Magee Terrace, County Kildare will be...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: While there are no current plans for the provision of new RDF premises in the town in question, the matter is being kept under review.

Written Answers — Partnership for Peace. : Partnership for Peace. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Ireland's participation in Partnership for Peace, PfP, to date is set out in our five individual partnership programmes, copies of which have been lodged in the Oireachtas Library. Ireland's sixth individual partnership programme, covering the period 2006-07, is being completed in consultation with the Departments of Foreign Affairs, the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Justice...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Personnel, on being discharged from the Permanent Defence Force, are obliged to vacate married quarters within a short period of the dates of their discharge. The provision of housing is primarily a matter for the local authorities and married personnel have an equal claim on such housing as other members of the community in the same income category. Fifty-four of those overholding married...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Strength: Defence Forces Strength (3 Nov 2005)

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 strength of the Permanent Defence Force, comprising the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service, as of 30 September 2005, was as follows. Strength Army 8,623 Air Corps 852 Naval...

Written Answers — Security Escorts: Security Escorts (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: An annual contribution of €2.86 million has been paid by the banks to my Department in respect of the provision of cash escorts. That figure was set by the Department of Finance in the 1995 budget and has not been altered since. The contribution from the banks was designed to cover in part the total costs to the State of providing cash escorts. At that time, the contribution covered...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (3 Nov 2005)

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 sale of approximately 97 acres at Murphy Barracks, Ballincollig was completed in 2003 for a total of €42 million. The bulk of the...

Written Answers — Army Barracks: Army Barracks (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The refurbishment of residential accommodation is an integral part of my Department's ongoing building programme. Major contracts to improve the standard of accommodation have been placed over the past few years as part of an ongoing investment programme in the Defence Forces. For example, in the period from 2003 to date, major accommodation upgrades have taken place in McKee and Cathal...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Strength: Defence Forces Strength (3 Nov 2005)

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 provides an overall strength figure of 10,500 for the Permanent Defence Force, all ranks. That figure comprehends provision for the allocation of up to 850 members of the...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 300 and 301 together. The Garda Síochána has primary responsibility for law and order, including the protection of the internal security of the State. It continuously monitors the potential threats to the State arising from international terrorism in co-operation with the Defence Forces. The Defence Forces make contingency plans for a range of scenarios...

Written Answers — Search and Rescue Service: Search and Rescue Service (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The Irish Coast Guard has overall responsibility for the provision of maritime search-and-rescue services within the Irish search-and-rescue region. The Air Corps had been providing search-and-rescue, SAR, services in the north west but withdrew in October 2004 following a hand-over of that role to CHCI, a private operator, which also provides the service at the country's other SAR bases at...