Results 3,921-3,940 of 12,635 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Written Answers — Smarter Travel Policy: Smarter Travel Policy (17 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: As a measure to incentivise the use of public transport, the Travel Pass Scheme was introduced in the Civil Service on 1 January 2002. To date a number of civil servants in my Department have availed of this Scheme. It is the general policy in my Department that, when travelling on official duties, officials should, as far as possible, use public transport when available. My Department...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Reserve: Defence Forces Reserve (17 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: Subhead D of the Defence Vote includes payments for Reserve Defence Force (RDF) training, gratuities, allowances and also includes grants paid into unit funds. The outturn on the Subhead for 2007 was €8,839,000. As the RDF is an integral part of the Defence Forces a range of other costs are spread across a number of Subheads. These costs are being compiled and will be forwarded to the...

Written Answers — Ministerial Travel: Ministerial Travel (17 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: In response to the Deputy I wish to state that I did not travel abroad for St. Patrick's Day in 2008. The then Minister of State for Defence and Government Chief Whip, Mr. Tom Kitt, T.D., travelled abroad on St. Patrick's Day in 2008 to represent Ireland in Vienna in his capacity as Government Chief Whip. The Department of the Taoiseach covered the necessary travel and subsistence costs....

Leaders' Questions (18 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: Hear, hear. Those are the facts.

Leaders' Questions (18 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: Does the Deputy accept that?

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (18 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: The information sought by the Deputy is as follows: Capital Company Value Project € Pat Moore Builders Ltd., Laois 1,774,279 Alteration and Extension to Block 4 Plunkett Barracks, Curragh Camp, County Kildare. Allen & Smyth Construction,Wicklow 1,757,496 Refurbishment and Extension to Communications Information Systems, McKee Barracks, Dublin. John F Supple, Cork 1,633,194 New...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (18 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: There is no regulator or regulatory authority under the remit of my Department.

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (19 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: My Department supports the provisions of Section 7 of the Finance (No.2) Act 2008 which introduced an exemption from an income tax charge under section 118 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 in respect of a benefit in the form of a bicycle or associated safety equipment provided to a director or employee by his or her employer, where the bicycle/associated safety equipment is used by the...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (19 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: The remuneration for staff in my Department and bodies under the remit of my Department is in line with benchmarking recommendations or, where appropriate, recommendations from the Review Body on Higher Remuneration as approved by Government.

Written Answers — Asgard II: Asgard II (24 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 337 and 341 together. At its last meeting, the Board of Coiste An Asgard had a full discussion on the possibility of salvaging the Asgard II. The unanimous view of the Board was that a salvage operation should not be pursued any further. Having carefully considered the Board's report to me, I have accepted its recommendation. Spending in the region of €2...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Recruitment: Defence Forces Recruitment (24 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: I have been advised by the Military Authorities that the strength of the Permanent Defence Force as of 31 December 2008, the most recent date for which figures are available, was 10,408. In common with other areas of the public service a reduction of 3% in payroll costs has been applied to the Defence Forces. Recruitment has been suspended pending a review of the best means to achieve the...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (24 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: The total number of trainees who have taken part in the National Sail Training Programme over the last five years is 1861. The cost to the Exchequer, through grants from the National Lottery over those years has been €4,247,000. The following is a breakdown of those figures: Year Grant No. of Trainees € 2008 803,000 246 2007 879,000 357 2006 749,000 286 2005 1,123,000 488 2004...

Written Answers — Naval Service Vessels: Naval Service Vessels (24 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: At its last meeting, the Board of Coiste An Asgard had a full discussion on the possibility of salvaging the Asgard II. The unanimous view of the Board was that a salvage operation should not be pursued any further. Having carefully considered the Board's report to me, I have accepted its recommendation. Spending in the region of €2 million on a salvage effort, the outcome of which is...

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (24 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: The lands owned by my Department at Templebreedy, Crosshaven comprises 37 acres and is no longer used for military purposes. Cork County Council recently added the structure of Fort Templebreedy to the Record of Protected Structures under Section 12(6) of the Planning and Development Act 2000. My Department had previous discussions with the Local Authority concerning the transfer of the...

Written Answers — Army Barracks: Army Barracks (24 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: Lifford Barracks closed on 28th January 2009 and my Department has no plans to use this property. It is anticipated that this barracks will be disposed of, taking account of the market conditions, so as to maximise the return to the Defence Forces and generate funding for reinvestment in Defence Forces equipment and infrastructure in accordance with Government policy.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (24 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: No civil servants in receipt of a civil service pension are employed in my Department.

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (25 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: In general, tender competitions are conducted by my Department in accordance with the EU procurement guidelines. For procurements of defensive equipment in excess of €1million, the European Defence Agency (EDA) Code of Conduct on Defence Procurement is observed and competitions are advertised on the EDA Electronic Bulletin Board. Tender competitions are held in accordance with the EU Code...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Strength: Defence Forces Strength (3 Mar 2009)

Willie O'Dea: A detailed breakdown of the strength by rank and gender of the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps are in the form of a Tabular Statement. The Government is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for men and women throughout the Defence Forces and to the full participation by women in all aspects of Defence Forces activities. Female strength in the Permanent Defence Force has increased...

Written Answers — Ministerial Appointments: Ministerial Appointments (3 Mar 2009)

Willie O'Dea: Boards of agencies under the aegis of my Department are the Board of Coiste an Asgard, the Civil Defence Board and the Army Pensions Board. None of the board members appointed by me are directors or senior executives of banks or other financial institutions.

Written Answers — Naval Service Vessels: Naval Service Vessels (3 Mar 2009)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 329 and 330 together. When I announced my acceptance of the Board of Coiste an Asgard's unanimous recommendation that a salvage operation should not be pursued, I stated that I had been impressed by the expressions of support for Asgard II and indicated that I am open to considering any realistic and funded proposals from private individuals or groups as to...