Results 541-560 of 12,630 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Bullying in the Workplace. (1 Mar 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The chairperson of the independent monitoring group is Dr. Eileen Doyle who composed the original report. The members include the deputy chief of staff, the assistant secretary of the Department of Defence, the general secretary of PDFORRA and the general secretary of RACO, the representative organisations of enlisted personnel and officers. Everybody is aware of allegations. We read the...

Bullying in the Workplace. (1 Mar 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Apart from those. The final part of my reply puts the issue in context. Since the revised procedures for making complaints were introduced in March 2003, eight complaints of unacceptable behaviour have been formally initiated in the Defence Forces. Five of these cases were proven to be unfounded. One case was upheld and the person complained of had disciplinary action taken against him. Two...

National Emergency Plan. (1 Mar 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The Government task force on emergency planning, which I chair, was established in October 2001. The membership of the task force includes Ministers, senior officials of Departments, senior officers of the Defence Forces and the Garda Síochána and officials of other key public authorities that have a lead or support role in Government emergency planning. I can provide a list of the people...

National Emergency Plan. (1 Mar 2005)

Willie O'Dea: No. It has been my practice since becoming Minister to call the emergency planning task force together on at least a monthly basis, which will continue. The next meeting is tomorrow afternoon. No member of the task force said anything that would necessarily alarm me or drew my attention to serious deficiencies. Each plan is a matter for the relevant lead Department. For example, the public...

National Emergency Plan. (1 Mar 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The plan was prepared by the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland. I am aware of it and can make a copy available to Deputy Timmins, if he wishes. He can evaluate it himself.

National Emergency Plan. (1 Mar 2005)

Willie O'Dea: A definitive plan exists. I wish to explore aspects of it with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. As there will be a large representation at tomorrow's meeting, we can refine the plan there. I have no difficulty making the plan available for the Deputy's perusal.

Defence Forces Training. (1 Mar 2005)

Willie O'Dea: A number of educational programmes are undertaken in the Defence Forces in regard to international humanitarian law. The military authorities advise that the position is as follows. Lectures on international humanitarian law are conducted by legal officers on all basic officers courses in the Military College. In addition, a day-long seminar on international humanitarian law is conducted for...

Defence Forces Training. (1 Mar 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The Deputy is correct that there is no reference in the White Paper to this aspect. Nevertheless, the position remains that officers — those in charge — get a very good grounding in international humanitarian law, which includes human rights law. To be frank, I do not know whether the course includes a specific section on sexual harassment, but I will find out and let the Deputy know. I...

Defence Forces Training. (1 Mar 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Since becoming Minister, I have not been aware of any investigation in that line and I do not know the outcome of any such investigations. I am not aware that anybody was specifically punished, dealt with or otherwise. Therefore, I must conclude the investigations found no case to answer or insufficient evidence to condemn anybody. We send personnel to the international course in San Remo to...

Defence Forces Regulations. (1 Mar 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Medical treatment of military personnel is carried out as far as possible in a military hospital or other medical facility under the auspices of the Army medical corps. If the necessary treatment is outside the scope of the Army medical corps, non-commissioned personnel, including recruits, are referred for treatment in the public health service. Such personnel, in common with all citizens,...

Defence Forces Regulations. (1 Mar 2005)

Willie O'Dea: It appears unreasonable on the face of it that distinction should be made in such an instance between officers and ordinary members of the Defence Forces. That is the way things have been traditionally because it was assumed that enlisted men and women had more access and eligibility under the public health service than officers. Obviously I have inherited that situation and it will be...

Defence Forces Regulations. (1 Mar 2005)

Willie O'Dea: If recruits, particularly those injured in training, are discharged because they cannot have access to the public health service within the requisite six months, I agree that is unfair and must be looked at.

Bullying in the Workplace. (1 Mar 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 79, 114, 124 and 131 together. My previous reply on this subject detailed the comprehensive measures which have been taken since Dr. Eileen Doyle and the external advisory committee presented their report, The Challenge of a Workplace, in March 2002. The contents and recommendations of the report were accepted in full. The military authorities advise that...

Bullying in the Workplace. (1 Mar 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I agree. How the Defence Forces operate is predicated on the simple assumption that lawful orders must be obeyed. Accordingly, the discipline in the Defence Forces not just in this country but elsewhere in the world is different from the relationship between a manager and employee of a factory or office. Sometimes, what might be reasonably interpreted as bullying in the workplace would not...

Bullying in the Workplace. (1 Mar 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Without wanting to be flippant about the matter, it is analogous to crime in Limerick. When a crime of a particular nature takes place in Limerick, everyone is keen to talk about it. The same crime would not attract the same attention in Cork, Waterford, Galway, Blessington or elsewhere. It is basically a sexy story. If someone says "Oh my goodness, I was in the Irish Army, was bullied...

Departmental Properties. (1 Mar 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The Department of Defence holds property in Dublin city and county as follows: Location Area McKee Barracks, Dublin 7 45 acres Cathal Brugha Barracks, Dublin 6 46 acres St. Bricin's Hospital, Dublin 7 5.5 acres Esplanade (part), Collins Barracks, Dublin 7 2 acres Arbour Hill Stores, Workshops, etc. 1.5 acres Site at Islandbridge 1 acre Casement Aerodrome,...

Overseas Missions. (1 Mar 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The Defence Forces participate in two main types of overseas missions, namely, traditional UN-led "Blue Hat" missions and UN-authorised missions, where the mission is established under the authority of the UN Security Council or the General Assembly of the UN. These two types of missions are represented on the Defence Forces website as UN and non-UN missions respectively. In both instances,...

Overseas Missions. (1 Mar 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The Deputy is mistaken. There are two types of operations, which might involve Irish troops going abroad. There are traditional UN-led operations, where the UN organises the mission and approaches its members to supply troops. However, there are also UN-authorised operations, where other bodies such as the EU, NATO or the Organisation of African States put the team together, having been...

Overseas Missions. (1 Mar 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The missions conform perfectly with the Defence Acts. The interpretation of successive Attorneys General is that the word "established" in the Acts covers the scenario where the UN decides that a mission must be deployed abroad but regards it as more appropriate to ask the EU, NATO or the Organisation of African States to undertake it rather than put it together itself. The advice is the word...

Overseas Missions. (1 Mar 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 82, 90, 92, 93 and 107 together. The background to the rapid response elements concept, commonly referred to as battlegroups, is that at the European Council in Helsinki in 1999, member states set themselves a headline goal that by the year 2003, co-operating together and voluntarily, they would be able to deploy rapidly and then sustain forces capable of the...