Results 11,541-11,560 of 12,604 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Commemorative Events. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: ——and assumed that it would be widely welcomed by the Opposition, as it has been.

Commemorative Events. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The Government assumed that this extremely welcome initiative would be embraced enthusiastically by the Opposition and apart from nitpicking objections to the announcement's timing and method, by and large it has been welcomed. It will be a great event and, as I told Deputy Timmins previously, it will involve members of the Irish United Nations Veterans Association and the Organisation of...

Commemorative Events. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh for his unqualified support for this. He is not supporting it and then pretending to be upset about how and when it was announced, which I appreciate. We are in the very early stages of preparation. There is an interdepartmental committee consisting of representatives of the Departments of Defence, Foreign Affairs and the Taoiseach and that I am sure will include a...

Commemorative Events. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I would welcome constructive suggestions.

Defence Forces Remuneration. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The pay to non-pay ratio for Defence Forces expenditure in 2004 was 71:29. The PricewaterhouseCoopers review of the Defence Forces recommended that, in the case of a light infantry based military structure, the balance between pay and non-pay should be 70:30. In 1995, pay accounted for approximately 80% of military expenditure, leaving only 20% for all non-pay spending. Under the White Paper...

Defence Forces Remuneration. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: It is my intention to keep it at that ratio because it was the ratio recommended by PricewaterhouseCoopers and is generally accepted as being the proper ratio for a military organisation of the type we have in this country. Regarding selling property, we obviously do not have much property left to sell. If income from that source dries up, we must ensure that the Minister for Finance meets...

Defence Forces Remuneration. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I do not have exact information but my understanding is that, following improvements in the early 1990s, we are in line with other countries and are in a good position on the scale. I will get the information for the Deputy.

Defence Forces Recruitment. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10, 21 and 37 together. The unsatisfactory age and fitness profile of the Permanent Defence Force was commented upon by the Gleeson commission in its report in 1990. The age profile was also the subject of severe criticism by PricewaterhouseCoopers which had been engaged by the efficiency audit group, EAG, to conduct an in-depth study of the Defence Forces....

Defence Forces Recruitment. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: They can stay for 21 years.

Defence Forces Recruitment. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: It will apply to people who came into the new system on and from 1 January 1994. Anyone who is approaching the end of his or her 12 year period will, if he or she satisfies the criteria, be able to continue in service for up to nine years. We have examined the issue of recruitment raised by the Deputy. We must keep a close eye on the age profile for obvious reasons. The current average age of...

Defence Forces Recruitment. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: It has been the law since relevant legislation was introduced in the early 1960s. It is a part of one's contract that if one joins the Defence Forces, one must make oneself available for overseas duties. This was updated in 1993 to include the famous chapter 7 missions as only chapter 6 missions were possible until that time. Recruits must make themselves available. We are glad to say that,...

Defence Forces Recruitment. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I have no idea. I am not familiar with that speech by the Chief of Staff. He did not communicate those sentiments to me. Certainly, it is the law that overseas duty is part of their duty.

Defence Forces Recruitment. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: There is no question that it is a very large commitment. Until I came into this job I did not realise how large it was. On the surface it appears small, as 10% of the standing Army is involved, but the Deputy mentioned rotation and two groups are in training to replace one group overseas. The idea regarding the Reserve Defence Force is good and other countries engaged in peacekeeping allow...

Defence Forces Recruitment. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I had better not get into a discussion with Deputy Gormley on what he bases that observation. Fitness tests are carried out annually and if people are not fit they are told what to do in order to get fit. They must reach the required standard within a certain period of time.

Departmental Expenditure. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 27 together. The gross allocation for the Defence and Army Pensions Votes was €566 million in 1995, €789 million in 2000 and €934 million in 2005. The level of expenditure on defence in any particular country is influenced by a variety of factors, including that country's political and security environment, its history, demography and economy....

Departmental Expenditure. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The answer to Deputy Sherlock's question is that similar to every other EU country since the fall of the Berlin Wall, our expenditure on defence as a percentage of GDP has decreased. Nevertheless, in real terms, our expenditure on defence has increased. To answer Deputy Andrews's question, during the past ten years we have increased expenditure in real terms by approximately 25% over the rate...

Commemorative Events. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I want to outline my satisfaction and that of the Defence Forces with this commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising and also with 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 and engaged, through...

Commemorative Events. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: On Deputy Timmins's first question about whether there will be one parade or whether it will be replicated throughout the country, no final decision on that matter has been taken as yet. It is more than likely that it will involve more than one parade in Dublin and that it will involve various parades throughout the country. As I stated, we are still at the very early stages of planning and...

Commemorative Events. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: No, I am not aware of that.

Defence Forces Inquiry. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Private Kevin Barrett died on 18 February 1999 while serving with the 84th Infantry Battalion in Lebanon. His death was the subject of a UN board of inquiry and an Irish contingent board of inquiry as well as a military police investigation. The coroner for north-west Donegal held an inquest into the death of Private Barrett from 5 to 8 September 2005. The jury returned an open verdict. I met...