Results 3,641-3,660 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Overseas Missions (28 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: Ireland is currently contributing 563 Defence Forces personnel to 11 different missions throughout the world. Of this, 126 are commissioned officers, 220 are non-commissioned officers and 217 are drawn from other ranks. Full details of all personnel currently serving overseas are listed in the tabular statement which will be circulated to Deputies. The main overseas missions in which...

Overseas Missions (28 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: It is at present. Like the Deputy, I wish our troops well in southern Lebanon. We discussed this issue at some length a few days ago in the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality. The troops are performing a very important task in a fraught part of the world. As I said at the committee, I am committed to continuing the involvement of our troops in overseas missions....

Overseas Missions (28 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: Seven members of the Defence Forces are based in Afghanistan. They are largely engaged in administrative functions but they have also been engaged in training other personnel in the neutralisation of improvised explosive devices, an area in which our Defence Forces have particular expertise. Their involvement in that area has saved lives and has been greatly valued in terms of the skill...

Overseas Missions (28 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: On the matter raised by Deputy Ó Snodaigh, there is adequate opportunity at meetings of the defence committee to discuss the very small contingents of the Defence Forces who go abroad on various missions. There is no need for the time of the House to be taken up in circumstances where perhaps one or two members of the Defence Forces are participating in a UN organised mission abroad. The...

Naval Service Operations (28 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 49 and 56 together. The Naval Service assists the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, SFPA, in promoting compliance with and deterring contraventions of the Common Fisheries Policy. The SFPA liaises regularly with the Naval Service and, inter alia, the Fisheries Monitoring Centre, FMC, and the Air Corps. To achieve strict compliance with quota and other...

Naval Service Operations (28 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: As the Deputy knows, EU Regulation 2807 of 1983 required all EU vessels to retain a paper logbook on board. This was required to be completed every 24 hours. A new control regulation, EU Regulation 1224 of 2009, which was introduced on 7 May 2011, legislates for the introduction of electronic reporting and recording systems. Article 15 of this regulation states that all masters of...

Naval Service Operations (28 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: I presume the Deputy is talking about an incident that occurred on 10 June last, when the Naval Service vessel, LE Niamh, boarded and detained two Spanish registered fishing vessels for alleged breaches of fishing regulations approximately 30 miles south of Castletownbere. Some Spanish vessels have been fitted with electronic logbooks. However, following this recent incident, the FMC has, on...

Naval Service Operations (28 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: The list will be attached to my reply to Deputy Stanton's question. The list of fishing vessels boarded covers a range of countries. A substantial number of Irish vessels have been checked over the years. Of the non-Irish fishing vessels boarded by the Naval Service in 2010, some 439 were Spanish. While the Naval Service cannot target a country, it can have regard to the records of...

Naval Service Operations (28 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Naval Service assists the SFPA in promoting compliance and the SFPA liaises regularly with the Naval Service and the FMC. There is continual interaction between the services, which can result in the Naval Service making a decision that it is appropriate to intervene with a particular vessel.

Naval Service Operations (28 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: I would hope that there would be co-operation between EU member states and that information sought would be provided without difficulty. The information on both these vessels was, ultimately, provided and no issue now arises. However, a substantial number of boardings of Spanish vessels has occurred. In 2010, there were 204 boardings of French vessels and 151 boardings of UK vessels. The...

Naval Service Operations (28 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: Clearly, the paper logbook should be provided if the other information is not. It is not satisfactory that neither form of information is readily available. There is, clearly, a timeframe for implementing the EU arrangements for the electronic recording of information. In that regard, there are areas we ourselves must deal with. We have to be temperate in our language about these things....

Defence Forces Ombudsman (28 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 50 and 55 together. In accordance with the terms of the Ombudsman (Defence Forces) Act 2004, the fifth annual report of the Ombudsman was laid before each House of the Oireachtas on 21 June 2011. The report shows a welcome drop in the number of complaints currently lodged with the Ombudsman, down from 229 in 2008 to 116 in 2010. The Ombudsman's report notes...

Defence Forces Ombudsman (28 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: I regard it as important that the conclusions of the Ombudsman are taken seriously, that they are reflected upon in the manner in which the legislation envisages and that, ultimately, a decision is made by the Minister as to whether to fully implement recommendations made or whether circumstances arise, which create a difficulty in that regard. I paid particular regard to the outstanding...

State Visits (28 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: This relates again to security arrangements of the visits of Queen Elizabeth II and President Obama. They were primarily a matter for the Garda. Among the roles assigned to the Defence Forces in the White Paper on Defence is the provision of aid to the civil power, meaning in practice to assist, when requested, An Garda Síochána. With regard to these successful visits, the roles played by...

State Visits (28 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: I thank the Deputy for her question, although it is starting to feel like ground-hog day. Her colleague, Deputy Clare Daly, asked the same question earlier. Such visits involve different Departments and agencies. In the context of security issues, the Garda was the lead agency engaged to provide the security necessary and it is estimated the additional cost to the force will not be less...

State Visits (28 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: In fairness to both, the Garda involvement was a great deal more intensive and required a great deal more personnel, overtime and allowances for the many members of the force who were engaged to be collated. That is more complex when compared with the Defence Forces, where the financial backdrop is simpler and clearer. Both forces did us proud during the course of both visits. We should...

National Emergency Plan (28 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Question Nos. 52 and 53 together. Emergency planning in this country is structured around the "lead Department" principle, which means that whoever is responsible for an activity in normal conditions will maintain that responsibility during a major emergency. The advantage of this approach is that the professionals, who deal with a particular sector on a daily basis, can...

National Emergency Plan (28 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: Communications play a vital part of the response to emergencies that arise, especially communications between the different agencies in the State. This issue is kept under review by the task force, and I will ensure it is continually reviewed. One can always improve communications, but further developments in these areas are constrained by our economic circumstances. During the course of...

Written Answers — Army Barracks: Army Barracks (28 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Department is engaged on an ongoing capital building programme designed to modernise and enhance the training, operational and accommodation facilities available to members of the Defence Forces. Under this programme there has been considerable capital investment in Custume Barracks. The most recent major projects include the construction of a new Gymnasium, refurbishment of the...

Written Answers — Irish Red Cross: Irish Red Cross (28 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Programme for Government provides for the initiation of a detailed legal review of the basis, structures and governance of the Red Cross in Ireland to improve its functioning in the light of changing circumstances. Proposals for reform of the governance of the Irish Red Cross Society initially arose from a resolution that was passed in November 2007 by the Council of Delegates of the...