Results 2,541-2,560 of 2,815 for speaker:Tony Killeen

White Paper on Defence (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6, 27, 33 and 49 together. The renewed programme for Government sets out the commitment for the preparation of a new White Paper on defence, for the period 2011 to 2020. I have circulated a draft memorandum to my Cabinet colleagues outlining the proposed approach to developing the new White Paper. I intend to bring a memorandum to Government in the near...

White Paper on Defence (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: The proposals in the first White Paper in 2000 have had a huge influence on the development of the Defence Forces into a highly professional, highly organised, well resourced organisation and this would not have happened in the same away or as effectively in the absence of the White Paper. With regard to the new White Paper, I have invited a number of interested parties, among them the...

White Paper on Defence (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: Considerable work has been undertaken in the Department and I have been involved in trying to advance some of that. The military authorities have been considering the implications for themselves and trying to predict what challenges their organisations might have to deal with over the next decade. One element of that is an environmental analysis and much of that work will be done internally...

White Paper on Defence (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: The size of the Defence Forces was agreed in the context of budget 2010 and that stands independently of the White Paper process. I expect, however, the process to set out the requirements of the armed forces for the next ten years. I always felt the figure of 10,000 was dangerous in the sense that it was open to attack on that basis that it could be said it was plucked out of mid-air. I...

White Paper on Defence (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: I apologise to Deputy Stanton; I missed the question about the value for money review for the RDF and another question he asked about the reserve earlier. It is clear that a White Paper on the Defence Forces has to consider centrally within it the role of the reserve. At the risk of being seen to overly impact on the process, it is instructive and interesting to consider the experience of...

White Paper on Defence (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: It is not my intention to include the Civil Defence because of the organisational structure under which it operates. I missed one question put by Deputy O'Shea, an important question concerning battle groups. One of my colleagues, the Swedish Minister, indicated his interest in the deployment of battle groups in humanitarian disaster areas. On occasion, the capacity of battle groups could...

Defence Forces Personnel (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: The State Claims Agency deals with claims arising from accidents involving Defence Force vehicles in Ireland. The Chief State Solicitor's office deals with claims arising from accidents involving Defence Force vehicles overseas. The information requested is set out in the following table: Year Number of Defence Force road traffic accident claims received Number of resolved Defence Force...

Defence Forces Personnel (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: I do not believe such detail is available. Apart from the age of the vehicles, to which Deputy O'Shea referred, the variables might include the number and length of journeys undertaken, the number of personnel involved and similar issues which may not be easily extrapolated from tables of this nature. I have some additional information with regard to outstanding cases. I made the point that...

Defence Forces Personnel (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: Several claims have been outstanding for a very long period and are, de facto, dormant, dead or unlikely to be reactivated in some instances. There are a total of 53 including those for 2010. At least 15 of these predate 2006 and one goes back to 1998. These are not active in any sense. Regarding vehicles, the close interaction between the transport people and the State Claims Agency has...

Defence Forces Personnel (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: Deputy O'Shea is correct that there is a considerable amount of movement by military vehicles on a daily basis through several parts of the country. There is a major number of opportunities in terms of exposure to the road. I do not have a breakdown in respect of the seriousness of accidents. The number of fatalities is thankfully small, but any fatality is one too many. By serious...

Defence Forces Personnel (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: I propose to take Question Nos. 8 and 223 together. The number of female personnel serving in the Permanent Defence Force on 30 September 2010, the last date for which figures are available, was 557, of which 456 were serving in the Army, 32 in the Air Corps and 69 in the Naval Service. In terms of rank, the breakdown of female personnel serving on 30 September 2010 was 143 officers, 167...

Defence Forces Personnel (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: Deputy O'Shea is correct. The percentage of women eligible increased from 60% to 90% of the population through the decision of the then Minister for Defence, Deputy Willie O'Dea, in 2006. In 2007, the TNS MRBI study was commissioned to examine the retention and recruitment of women to the Defence Forces. I have asked for information on the applications to the current recruitment drive....

Defence Forces Personnel (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: I understand some progress has been made on virtually all of the recommendations arising from the TNS MRBI survey. Some of the recommendations are under way in respect of family friendly policies in the Defence Forces. It will be difficult to judge in the short term but one expects, over a period of five to ten years, to see a marked improvement in retention figures. However, if that was...

Defence Forces Personnel (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: The bulk of the recommendations arising from the 2007 report related to internal matters and much work has been done in that regard. The external issue of presenting a particular image is somewhat more challenging and the problem appears to be borne out if the application figures are as low as is indicated. This may be a function of a larger cohort of males being available and interested...

National Emergency Plan (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: I propose to take Question Nos. 9 and 214 together. There are two committees dealing with emergency planning that come under the aegis of my Department, namely the Government taskforce on emergency planning and the interdepartmental working group on emergency planning. The Government taskforce on emergency planning, which was established in 2001, is comprised of Ministers and-or senior...

National Emergency Plan (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: I am aware the Reserve Defence Force was deployed in at least one situation during the weather emergencies because I saw it happening. The Reserve Defence Force is available to be called in when the judgment is made that the Defence Forces are required. It is difficult to be specific or prescriptive about when to call in the Defence Forces. The Defence Forces are represented on the...

National Emergency Plan (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: The issue of personal liability arose in the past three or four taskforce meetings I attended. A number of initiatives are under way in that regard. I understand the Department of Justice and Law Reform has introduced legislation to clarify the situation with regard to some personnel. As a general principle my understanding is that if people carry out whatever duties they undertake with...

Written Answers — Irish Red Cross: Irish Red Cross (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 36 together. The Irish Red Cross Society is an independent statute based charitable organisation with full power to manage its own affairs. I have no function in the day–to–day administration of the Irish Red Cross Society and as such, I do not get involved in the day-to-day running of its affairs. In fact the Geneva Convention places an obligation...

Written Answers — Coastal Surveillance: Coastal Surveillance (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: Responsibility for the prevention of drug trafficking rests primarily with the Customs Service of the Revenue Commissioners. Responsibility for the prevention of crime, including people trafficking, rests primarily with An Garda Siochána. However, the White Paper on Defence provides for a security role for the Naval Service and the Air Corps to assist and support the civil authorities in...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Personnel: Defence Forces Personnel (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 22 together. At the outset, let me state categorically that cost is not the basis for determining the prescribing of Lariam to Defence Forces personnel. I am advised by the military authorities that there are four main chemo prophylactic anti-malaria agents available to the Defence Forces. These are Lariam, Chloroquine, Malarone and Doxycycline. Lariam...