Results 11,281-11,300 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Other Questions: Overseas Missions (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: That is a completely different issue. I am aware of the Deputy's concern about this matter. As he will be aware, Lariam is the recommended drug of choice in dealing with malaria. Recommendations on the use of this drug include that a person be medically examined prior to it being administered; that there be no adverse impacts on an individual - the reason it is administered some time prior...

Other Questions: Overseas Missions (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: We have, in the context of the Defence Forces, ensured procedures that should be in place are in place. I do not know, in the context of a mission to Sudan, what will be the recommended medications. That issue has not yet come for consideration.

Other Questions: Overseas Missions (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The maximum information is provided for individuals on the use of Lariam, the contraindications in terms of when it should not be used and the necessity, should a person have an adverse reaction, to immediately bring the matter to the attention of medical personnel within the Defence Forces.

Other Questions: Defence Forces Reserve (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The current number of Defence Forces Reserve, DFR, personnel based in Dublin is 948. This number is divided into the various DFR units and sub-units currently in the Dublin area. With regard to future plans for the Defence Forces Reserve, as the Deputy will be aware, I recently published a value for money review of the Defence Forces Reserve. The steering committee concluded that the...

Other Questions: Defence Forces Reserve (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy has made a very interesting suggestion. I am conscious that the reserve trains but has not been deployed substantially to fulfil functions. I am concerned to ensure that the reserve force engages in work that is of benefit to the community and which its members feel is fulfilling, based on the training they have received. One of the difficulties at the moment, in practical...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Operations (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The roles of the Defence Forces as assigned by Government are set out in the White Paper on Defence which was published in February 2000. Among the assigned roles is Aid to the Civil Power (ATCP) meaning in practice to assist, when requested, An Garda Siochána who have primary responsibility for law and order, including the protection of the internal security of the State. e Defence...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Expenditure (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The gravity of the current economic difficulties means that all areas of the public sector must deliver greater efficiencies and operate within a reduced resource envelope. In that regard, all elements of the Defence organisation’s expenditure have been critically reviewed in order to reflect the current financial climate. Arising from the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure in 2011,...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Remuneration (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 14, 22 and 167 together. Rates of remuneration and conditions of employment in the Irish public sector have traditionally been set by reference to relative levels of pay across the various sectors of the Irish public sector. In this regard, the level of remuneration in the Defence sector has maintained relativity with the levels available in other related...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Reserve (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I am advised by the military authorities that the number of Reserve Defence Force (RDF) personnel that attend RDF training on a regular basis from the Lucan, Clondalkin, Palmerstown, Newcastle, Rathcoole and Saggart catchment area is currently 32. These are the numbers of personnel who regularly attend training with A Company, 62 Infantry Battalion, the sub unit who’s catchment area...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: EU Battlegroups (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 and 26 together. The EU has the capability to deploy forces at high readiness, broadly based on the Battlegroup concept. The purpose of the EU Battlegroups is to provide a rapid level of response to developing international crises, allowing the EU to intervene during the critical early stages or to reinforce an existing operation. To date, no Battlegroup...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Overseas Missions (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: Six (6) members of the Permanent Defence Force are deployed in Syria as part of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO). The Defence Forces have participated in UNTSO since 1958. Defence Forces personnel serving with this mission are based in Syria, Israel and Lebanon. The main functions of UNTSO are to maintain regional dialogue, monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Overseas Missions (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Defence Forces are primarily deployed on overseas missions in support of international peace and security under UN mandates. On 20 December 2001, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1386 under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, authorising the establishment of an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, and there are fourteen UN Security Council...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Reorganisation (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The re-organisation of the Reserve Defence Force is a key element of the response to the findings and recommendations of a Value for Money Review of the Reserve Defence Force, which was recently completed and published and which concluded that the current Reserve organisation was not fit for purpose and required radical reform. The central recommendation from the VFM Steering Committee is for...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Reorganisation (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: A major re-organisation of the PDF is underway since last July and is now at an advanced stage. In response to the findings of a Value for Money Review which was recently published, the Reserve Defence Force is also being reformed and re-organised. These changes will ensure that the Defence Forces organisational structures are configured to maximise required capabilities. In addition, the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Operations (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: Primary responsibility for the maintenance of law and order, including the protection of the internal security of the State, rests with An Garda Síochána. However, one of the roles assigned to the Defence Forces in the White Paper on Defence (2000) is to provide Aid to the Civil Power (ATCP) which, in practice, means to assist An Garda Síochána when requested to do so. A...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Operations (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The monies received by the Department of Defence in respect of the provision by the Defence Forces of assistance to An Garda Siochána in protecting movements of cash for the past ten years are as follows: Year Amount Received Year Amount Received 2002 €2.86m 2007 €7.34m 2003 €2.86m 2008 €7.45m 2004 €3.86m 2009 €7.39m 2005 €6.03m...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Ombudsman (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: As I indicated in reply to Parliamentary Question No. 4 of 7 November 2012, the office of the Ombudsman is now well established and a number of administrative and systemic issues identified by the outgoing Ombudsman have been addressed. This has contributed to improvements in procedures and policies within the Defence Forces. Recent trends show a significant increase in the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Equipment (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The White Paper on Defence (2000) provides for a security role for the Naval Service and the Air Corps to support the civil authorities in this area and assistance in the prevention of drug smuggling is recognised as a very important part of their duties. Government measures to improve law enforcement in relation to drugs, including the establishment in 1993 of a Joint Task Force involving An...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Equipment (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy will appreciate that the principle of competitive tendering for Government contracts has to be used by the Department of Defence for the acquisition of defensive equipment for the Defence Forces. Central to those procedures is the requirement to allow fair competition between suppliers through the submission of tenders following advertising of the tender competition on the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Naval Service Vessels (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: There is a fleet of eight ships available to the Naval Service, seven of which are currently in operational service. In order to maintain maximum availability and serviceability, major maintenance for each vessel is planned in advance and is incorporated into an annual patrol plan for the Naval Fleet. LE Niamh is undergoing scheduled maintenance at present and will be back in service later...