Results 2,021-2,040 of 12,630 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

State Property. (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: It is not a cash transfer. We are merely playing our part in the affordable housing initiative by transferring the land.

State Property. (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: That had not been considered but since the Deputy has mentioned it, we will look at the possibility.

State Property. (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: That land was given to other State agencies to advance State projects. There was no question of giving it to private developers.

State Property. (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I see the point Deputy Timmins is making. The land bank available to the Department of Defence is kept under constant review. We will have progressively less land to dispose of on the open market in future and we will receive funding from the Minister for Finance to compensate for this and maintain the considerable level of investment in infrastructure, weaponry, training and so on.

Overseas Missions. (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 45 and 222 together. Ireland is currently contributing 826 Defence Forces personnel to 19 different missions throughout the world. Full details of all personnel currently serving overseas on UN mandated operations, observer missions or undertaking representative or staff postings are listed in the following tabular statement. The main overseas commitments...

Overseas Missions. (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Ireland currently has 826 troops serving overseas. This figure consists of 168 officers and 658 non-officers. I understand five doctors are currently deployed overseas. While I do not have figures on the number of dentists, I understand none is serving overseas. The answer to the Deputy's question on whether we are having difficulty recruiting a sufficient number of doctors is an...

Overseas Missions. (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I have consulted my officials about making the document available and will be pleased to do so if there are no barriers to publication. A memorandum of understanding would not usually refer to the requirements of contributing members. It simply outlines details of how the various contingents will operate together, who will perform what function etc. It is not supposed to refer to the...

Overseas Missions. (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I agree that if the reserve Defence Forces, particularly doctors, engineers and other professionals, were to serve overseas, it would significantly alleviate the problem. Various difficulties are encountered in trying to get release from employment and these require deals to be done with IBEC etc. The target set down in the White Paper was to have reserve Defence Forces serving overseas by...

Overseas Missions. (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The expertise is available. Of the 826 personnel abroad currently, two thirds have been abroad previously, a considerable reserve of expertise. I cannot remember the Deputy's first question.

Overseas Missions. (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: They become involved with community and charitable work with local groups and people. There have been instances in Kosovo and Monrovia where that happened and we give the Army every encouragement to continue with such work. That is why the Army has such a great reputation in international peacekeeping circles.

Overseas Missions. (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The breakdown between men and women reflects the general numbers of women in the Army.

Overseas Missions. (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Yes, it is in that order but I will get exact figures for the Deputy. There is no barrier to prevent a person who goes to Liberia from then going to Lebanon or Kosovo. There is an overlap. I see no reason why the memorandum of understanding should require a reference to the triple lock because the triple lock is the law and that takes precedence over any memorandum. I am sorry we did not...

Overseas Missions. (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: There are facilities for all medical and dental ailments and the same applies in all overseas missions, the expertise is available. If Deputy Callely has any other incentives we could offer to recruit doctors and dentists, because we badly need to do this to provide frontline services instead of bringing GPs in from outside, I would be delighted to hear them.

Written Answers — Weapons Amnesty: Weapons Amnesty (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: An Garda Síochána have the primary responsibility for law and order, including the protection of the internal security of the State. Among the roles assigned to the Defence Forces is the provision of aid to the civil power (meaning in practice to assist, when requested, an Garda Síochána), which duties include the protection and guarding of vital installations, the provision of certain...

Written Answers — Departmental Investigations: Departmental Investigations (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: On 2 February, 2006, I received a report from Mr. Sean Hurley, who I had appointed to carry out an independent review of the interaction between the Department of Defence/Defence Forces and parents and family of Private Kevin Barrett in the aftermath of his tragic death, on 18 February, 1999, while serving with the 84th Infantry Battalion in Lebanon. Mr. Hurley looked in detail at how the...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Staff: Defence Forces Staff (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 33 together. Sick leave in the Defence Forces was about 14 days per annum per person in the period from October 2005 to 30 September 2006. A SFA report earlier this year identified an average of 10 days absence per person per annum in larger firms. Military service, due to the robust nature of the physical training regime exposes personnel to a unique...

Written Answers — Overseas Missions: Overseas Missions (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 12, 31 and 69 together. A claim has been received from the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association (PDFORRA) for an increase in overseas allowance. This claim will be processed through the Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme for the Permanent Defence Force. By agreement with the Association, discussions under the Scheme are confidential...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The sale of a site comprising c. 2.7 acres to the Southern Health Board at the former Murphy Barracks, Ballincollig, Co. Cork for €1.73 million was completed in December 2004. 19.218 acres at the former Fitzgerald Camp, Fermoy, were sold to Cork County Council in 2001 for €0.974 million for development in conjunction with the IDA. 10 acres at Ringaskiddy was transferred from my...

Written Answers — Ministerial Meetings: Ministerial Meetings (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: An informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers took place in Levi, Finland on 2nd and 3rd October, 2006. In tandem with the informal Defence Ministers' meeting, there was a Ministerial level meeting of the EDA Steering Board. The main item on the Agenda for the Steering Board was a discussion on the EDA's initial long-term vision, which had been developed by the Agency over the past number of...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 and 16 together. Haulbowline Island comprises approximately 84 acres in total and is, in its entirety, vested in the Minister for Finance. The area of the Island formerly under Lease to Irish Ispat (previously Irish Steel), and now under the administration of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government arising from the liquidation of...