Results 2,381-2,400 of 2,815 for speaker:Tony Killeen

Defence Forces Recruitment (7 Jul 2010)

Tony Killeen: The PA Consulting Group report assessed the current arrangements for the provision of medical services and proposed a model for future delivery of those services. It recommended a programme of major change and working groups have been set up to progress the various projects identified. These continue to meet regularly and all have submitted reports. The line officer, in the rank of colonel,...

Defence Forces Recruitment (7 Jul 2010)

Tony Killeen: Illness prevention and health promotion are dealt with quite positively in the Defence Forces. By definition, all members are within a particular age cohort - from late teens or early 20s to mid-50s - and are in good health when they join, based on medical checks. Thus, their requirements in the health area are quite different from those of the population at large. One of these is...

Defence Forces Recruitment (7 Jul 2010)

Tony Killeen: I am pretty sure some people have left. I will obtain the exact numbers for the Deputy. Some have also been recruited during that period. It is an unusual medical area which is quite attractive to some, in terms of recruitment, and entirely unattractive to others. Recruitment is not as straightforward as one might expect.

Defence Forces Recruitment (7 Jul 2010)

Tony Killeen: Off the top of my head I could not say, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, but I will try to find out, although it will be difficult to obtain detailed information. When it is available I will send it to the Deputy.

Defence Forces Strength (7 Jul 2010)

Tony Killeen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 51 together. I am advised by the military authorities that the strength of the Permanent Defence Force on 31 May 2010, the latest date for which figures are currently available, was 9,809. I provided the breakdown of numbers in a previous reply, so I will not repeat it. Targeted recruitment will be carried out in 2010 to maintain the operational...

Defence Forces Strength (7 Jul 2010)

Tony Killeen: In theory, the establishment ought to be 10,500. Arising from the agreement following on the McCarthy report, that was reduced to 10,000. Currently, there are just over 9,800 personnel, and when the new recruitment process is completed, this will rise by 40 in the Naval Service Reserve and a certain number more in other areas, as well as the figure to be decided with regard to cadet intake....

Defence Forces Strength (7 Jul 2010)

Tony Killeen: In fact, relatively few people are leaving - fewer than might have been expected and fewer than was the case in the past. There are concerns about the age profile and we are trying to address this, but it can only be dealt with by a new intake. Colleagues will remember that ten or 15 years ago the age profile had become very high. This has improved dramatically with recruitment over the...

Defence Forces Strength (7 Jul 2010)

Tony Killeen: The closing date was a number of weeks ago. The number was fairly large, although not as large as I had expected. I will obtain it for the Deputy. The Naval Service is somewhat specialised, so the number might not be as large as it would be for the Army.

Defence Forces Strength (7 Jul 2010)

Tony Killeen: There is a long history in some areas of recruitment to armed forces in other countries. Unfortunately, countries across Europe are facing similar economic situations, so there are not many opportunities in other jurisdictions. I do not have figures in that regard. They are not readily available to us and are only likely to become available at a later stage, if at all.

Defence Forces Strength (7 Jul 2010)

Tony Killeen: That issue was raised previously. If I remember correctly, Deputy O'Shea raised the issue in the context of the age limit for the intake. I understand that the new recruitment programme will be a greenfield operation. To be frank, that is the only way it can work.

Defence Forces Strength (7 Jul 2010)

Tony Killeen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 29, 32 and 36 together. Within the context of consolidating the public finances, the Government is focused firmly on maintaining the operational efficiency of the Permanent Defence Force. Government approval was secured in the context of budget 2010 for a level of 10,000. I have put most of this information on the record already, except for a part of my...

Defence Forces Strength (7 Jul 2010)

Tony Killeen: I am not directly involved in the considerations. It is a matter between the military authorities, the association and the Department. There is nothing sinister about the situation. It just happens that some of the organisations, in this case PDFORRA and other trade unions, did not vote in favour of the Croke Park agreement. If there are implications, I will bring them to the attention of...

Defence Forces Strength (7 Jul 2010)

Tony Killeen: The Croke Park agreement provides significant safeguards for all public servants. The issue is, obviously, a matter for representative associations and trade unions. As it happens, the four of us here currently are members of a trade union of a particular profession, two of which voted against and one in favour of the proposals. I am sure the details around the agreement will be worked...

Defence Forces Strength (7 Jul 2010)

Tony Killeen: One of the criticisms of the agreement was that matters were not spelled out in the kind of detail they could have been. That was the complaint across the entire public sector. Clarifications were sought and given to the general public sector which did not automatically seem to apply, for example, to sectors like teaching, nursing etc. That, to some extent, would be the case with the...

Defence Forces Strength (7 Jul 2010)

Tony Killeen: I did not answer that part of Deputy Stanton's question. A number of aspects of the Croke Park agreement affect the Defence Forces. These include: ongoing co-operation with the overall review and restructuring of the Defence Forces - which I do not think that will create any difficulty; flexible and efficient deployment and redeployment, on which, perhaps, I should not comment; a review of...

Defence Forces Equipment (7 Jul 2010)

Tony Killeen: I can confirm that I received a copy of the draft report into the sinking of the sail training vessel, Asgard II. This report was examined by my Department and any comments and observations were submitted by the due date of 27 April 2010. The question of publishing the report is a matter for the Marine Casualty Investigation Board, which is a statutory independent body.

Defence Forces Equipment (7 Jul 2010)

Tony Killeen: It predates my time so I will answer from memory. My recollection is that it was fully insured and that the full insurance was paid, approximately €3.8 million. My understanding is this money came to the Department of Defence, but was de facto transferred to the Exchequer.

Defence Forces Equipment (7 Jul 2010)

Tony Killeen: As the Deputies will be aware, Coiste an Asgard is still in existence. I had a meeting with the coiste a month or two ago at which we explored some of the questions put by Deputy O'Shea. At this point in time, I do intend revisiting decisions that have been made on the future of the programme. This is as much, if not more, for financial reasons than for any other consideration. A sail...

Defence Forces Equipment (7 Jul 2010)

Tony Killeen: I understand there has been some diving activity. As far as I can establish, permission was not received from the Irish authorities and may well have been refused, and likewise from the French authorities. My understanding is that when the Asgard II sank, before divers could be deployed on behalf of the coiste and the Department, permission had first to be sought from the French...

Departmental Staff (7 Jul 2010)

Tony Killeen: The number of whole-time equivalent staff in the Department in May 2010 at the grade of assistant principal officer or higher is 51.3. Two people at assistant principal level or equivalent were recruited from outside the Civil Service as provided for under the social partnership agreement, Towards 2016. As all subsequent staff resources have been sourced from the central applications...