Results 2,281-2,300 of 12,630 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Written Answers — Air Services: Air Services (28 Feb 2007)

Willie O'Dea: Red safety areas were first adopted at Casement Aerodrome following a review in 1992 by Aer Rianta, on behalf of the Department of Defence, of policy in relation to safety zones at the aerodrome. International Civil Aviation Organisation standards and recommendations in relation to obstacle limitation surfaces for airports, designed to protect the safety of aircraft as they land and take off...

Ministerial Air Transport Service. (6 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The Deputy was not bad at it himself.

Written Answers — Defence Forces Recruitment: Defence Forces Recruitment (6 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: There are no vacancies for tradesmen at the Naval Dockyard, Haulbowline, Co. Cork.

Written Answers — Defence Forces Morale: Defence Forces Morale (6 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The main day-to-day role of the Naval Service is to provide a fishery protection service in accordance with the State's obligations as a member of the European Union. The Service is tasked with patrolling all Irish waters from the shoreline to the outer limits of the Exclusive Fishery Limits. In 2006 the Naval Service achieved an output of 1,658 patrol days, which represents an average of...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (6 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I am advised that adequate clothing and equipment is available to Reserve Defence Force personnel throughout the country. The scale of issue of the clothing and equipment to Reserve Defence Force personnel reflects the recommendations of the Reserve Defence Force Review Implementation Plan, which was officially launched in July 2004. This plan which runs to 2009 set out an ambitious programme...

Leaders' Questions (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The Labour Party cut corporate taxes.

Leaders' Questions (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: Although the Deputy is 100 years out of date, he is consistent.

Fiscal Policy. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I have no plans to visit Irish troops serving overseas on St. Patrick's Day. However, the general officers commanding the home brigades for our missions in Liberia, Lebanon and Kosovo, the main missions in which we have troops deployed, will visit the troops in these missions on St. Patrick's Day, as is the norm and tradition. As Deputies will be aware, I recently returned from visiting...

Fiscal Policy. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The practice I have adopted is that the general officers visit the troops serving in the various missions during St. Patrick's week. So as not to coincide, I try to visit one of the missions as near as possible to that week. Last year we travelled to Liberia and this year to Lebanon. The troops seem to appreciate us doing it this way. As far as the St. Patrick's Day celebrations are...

Fiscal Policy. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I will visit troops at Sarsfield Barracks in Limerick and may be able to arrange visits beyond this, if time allows.

Overseas Missions. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I visited Lebanon during the period 27 February to 1 March. During the visit I met the Lebanese Minister for Defence, Elias Murr. Among the issues we discussed was the killing of Privates Thomas Barrett and Derek Smallhorne while serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, in 1980 and the efforts to bring the alleged perpetrator of this crime to justice. The measures...

Overseas Missions. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: Regarding the attitude of the Lebanese authorities, I raised the matter with the relevant Minister in Lebanon, namely, the Minister for Defence who is also the Deputy Prime Minister. I put it to him that there was a possibility that the individual concerned may be denaturalised by the US authorities which must go to court to do so. If he were denaturalised, he would no longer retain his US...

Overseas Missions. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I recognise that 27 years is a very long time but we should bear some issues in mind. This gentleman has not been openly identified for the past 27 years, as the identification was more recent. We have researched every aspect of our law and held the most extensive discussions to see if we could do anything as a country to seek his extradition and put him on trial here. We have been advised...

Defence Forces Equipment. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: As Minister for Defence, I have no responsibility for the transport of military material by plane, other than that transported by or on behalf of the Defence Forces. Weapons and ammunition for the Defence Forces, which may be intended for transportation by plane, are stored in dedicated armouries at Casement Aerodrome. These are separate to stores used for other materials and are secured by...

Defence Forces Equipment. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The answer to the Deputy's first question is "no". Our only responsibility relates to Army material transported by the Army or on behalf of the Army by civil aircraft. That is where our responsibility ends. The responsibility for the matters referred to by the Deputy lies with the Department of Transport. However, we have a responsibility in the event of an emergency. As Minister for...

Defence Forces Equipment. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The emergency planning task force, of which I am chairman, is never completely happy with contingency arrangements. It is for this reason that exercises are conducted and the task force meets regularly. In light of experience and new methods of terrorism, we are improving plans consistently. A number of simulated exercises at Dublin Airport and Shannon Airport were audited by the relevant...

Permanent Defence Force. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The article to which the Deputy refers is the report of an interview with the Defence Forces' Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Jim Sreenan, that appeared in The Irish Times on Wednesday, 27 December 2006. The interview was wide-ranging and the Chief of Staff gave his views on a number of current matters of interest to the Defence Forces, including their preparation for Ireland's...

Permanent Defence Force. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I had no difficulty with the interview per se. The Deputy probably knows better than I that the Chief of Staff has a distinguished record and I would be sorry if any shadow was cast over it by the actions of someone who leaked a letter sent by me to the Chief of Staff. There is a steady stream of correspondence between a Minister for Defence and a Chief of Staff. As in any democracy, Army...

Permanent Defence Force. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I have no idea about how this occurred. Once one writes a letter to the Chief of Staff and asks him to circulate it, it becomes difficult to follow the trail. I do not vet the statements of Army officers in advance and I have no desire to do so. Occasionally, I take the opportunity to remind officers of their obligations, namely, that the Army is neutral. It has maintained a tradition of...

Permanent Defence Force. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: There is a steady stream of correspondence between a Minister for Defence and the Chief of Staff. While I address many matters therein, I have had occasion to remind people of their responsibilities, which has been the practice of every holder of this portfolio since the foundation of the State.