Results 11,521-11,540 of 12,604 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

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

Willie O'Dea: To reach the requisite level of interoperability, and taking account of the short timeframes envisaged for the deployment of the EU's rapid reaction elements, it would seem to me that the various forces and elements comprising a battle group would need to be familiar with the equipment, standard operating procedures, organisation and operations of the group as a whole. However, that does not...

Overseas Missions. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Eight of the nine bodies of those killed were recovered over the course of the two days following the ambush on 9 and 10 November 1960. The ninth body was not located at the time. In the autumn of 1962, the Defence Forces learned that the location of the ninth body was known. A team of officers was sent to meet the Niemba civil administration. After lengthy discussions, the team was brought...

Overseas Missions. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I will consider the Deputy's proposal.

National Emergency Plan. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 and 60 together. The Government task force on emergency planning last met on Tuesday, 20 September 2005. The next meeting of the task force is scheduled to take place on 9 November. The task force has met on 41 occasions to date. Arrangements to deal with any possible flu pandemic fall into two main categories. My colleague the Tánaiste and Minister for...

National Emergency Plan. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I assure the Deputy there is a specific public health emergency plan, which has been discussed at the emergency planning task force. It was produced in September 2004 and some changes were recommended last July following further advice and research conducted by the World Health Organisation. Several people were assigned to incorporating those changes in the plan and I expect them to be...

EU Battle Groups. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 23, 30, 56 and 65 together. The rapid response elements concept, commonly referred to as battle groups, originated at the European Council in Helsinki in 1999. Ireland supports the development of the EU's rapid response capability in support of UN authorised missions and is positively disposed towards participation in the rapid response elements in this...

EU Battle Groups. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I will explain the current position, although I expected the process to be further advanced at this stage. The interdepartmental group did not wish to finalise its report, although it had much work done, until it received formal written legal advice from the Attorney General. It was received a fortnight ago, although I expected to receive it sooner. Unfortunately, a number of aspects of the...

EU Battle Groups. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: That will depend on what the Government decides. I was at the PDFORRA conference referred to by Deputy Gormley and I listened to some of the speeches with great interest. I do not agree with every statement which every official from PDFORRA makes. I disagree with the statement referred to by Deputy Gormley. The Government is engaged in the modernisation of equipment which forms part of a...

EU Battle Groups. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: A battle group is defined as the minimum military effective, credible, rapidly deployable, coherent force package capable of stand-alone operations or for the initial phase of larger operations. As Deputy Timmins has rightly noted, the name is a misnomer and they should be called peace brigades. The intention of forming battle groups is that in some cases, because it would take several months...

EU Battle Groups. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: ——thousands of people could be killed in the meantime. Members should consider what happened in the Balkans and in Rwanda. In a similar situation, one needs, as Deputy Gormley is aware, to be able to deploy a temporary force quickly to prevent something catastrophic from happening.

EU Battle Groups. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Yes. Almost invariably, it will be followed by the bigger traditional type of peacekeeping force. As I stated previously with respect to equipment, I have made it clear to my fellow Ministers for Defence of those countries which will participate in battle groups that if Ireland is to participate in battle groups, they will be obliged to take us as they find us. I have made the point that we...

EU Battle Groups. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Yes they are, because apparently unlike some Members, they realise that the intention of battle groups is not to go to war. Battle groups will participate in Petersberg Tasks, which include, as Deputy Ó Snodaigh stated, missions up to and including chapter 7, or peacemaking, missions. That has been decided. Liberia is a chapter 7 mission. When we deployed troops to Liberia, several Members...

EU Battle Groups. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I meet individual members of the Defence Forces as I go around the country and morale is extremely high. This is partially due to the unprecedented amount of money invested in the Defence Forces in recent years.

EU Battle Groups. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Yes. Between 1985——

EU Battle Groups. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: That does not mean — if Deputy Sherlock can grasp this — that less money is being spent on the Defence Forces, it simply means that GDP has grown enormously. The Government has been spending a great deal of money on other Departments, such as the Departments of Health and Children and Social and Family Affairs, on which the Labour Party constantly calls on us to spend more. I did not know...

EU Battle Groups. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: ——increase expenditure on defence. In any case, the Government is increasing expenditure on defence. In 1985 and 1995, during much of which time the Deputy's party was in office, official figures show that expenditure on defence increased by 2% per annum. From 1995 to 2005, it increased by 7% per annum. Since the Government came into office, the increase in the consumer price index has...

EU Battle Groups. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Surplus property, which there was no point in retaining, was sold. Was it not better to use the funds properly? I am committed to continuing the reinvestment programme which will be in place until 2010. I wish to cite one international statistic. Defence expenditure by all governments in Europe has fallen quite substantially since the collapse of the Berlin Wall. It has fallen substantially...

Commemorative Events. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I would first like to outline my satisfaction and that of the Defence Forces for this commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising and the reintroduction of the traditional Easter military parade. The Cabinet has decided that the theme of the parade will be a celebration of Óglaigh na hÉireann, successors to the Volunteers serving a democratic State engaged, through the...

Commemorative Events. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I must inquire about the second part of the Deputy's question as I do not have information in that regard. As for the first part of his question, the Deputy asked whether it was right to announce this measure at a partisan political event such as the Fianna Fáil Ard-Fheis. The Fianna Fáil Ard-Fheis, like the Labour Party Conference or the Fine Gael Ard-Fheis will always be partisan, and it...

Commemorative Events. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Yes, it is a national event. The point is that in order to organise such a commemoration, the Government of the day must take the initiative. It did so——