Results 701-720 of 2,815 for speaker:Tony Killeen

Defence Forces Medical Services. (21 Apr 2010)

Tony Killeen: I will take the final point first. I agree with Deputy Deenihan that the single medical command structure with a line officer at colonel level will have a positive bearing on the quality of service provided. As I stated in my reply, it is already being done with regard to the appointment of the line officer. Deputy Deenihan also made the point that some of the recommendations could be...

Defence Forces Medical Services. (21 Apr 2010)

Tony Killeen: The agreement reached at steering group level is an important development. It is very hard to ascribe a timeframe in a situation such as this where a steering group and various sub-groups are reporting. However, the fact that it has approved a high-level organisation unit to include a line officer at the level of colonel is very important because it is central to delivering on many other...

Defence Forces Strength. (21 Apr 2010)

Tony Killeen: Within the available resources, the Government is committed to maintaining the strength of the Permanent Defence Force at a level of 10,000 all ranks, for which Government approval has been secured in the context of budget 2010. This reflects the reductions in personnel recommended in the report of the special group on public service numbers and expenditure programmes. I am advised by the...

Defence Forces Strength. (21 Apr 2010)

Tony Killeen: I do not have information on the final question at this point. However, I will inform the Deputies as soon as that information becomes available. To the best of my recollection there are approximately 100 people in acting-up posts and perhaps approximately 50 promotions to address parity, operational and command requirements. If that is incorrect I will come back to the Deputy in that...

Defence Forces Strength. (21 Apr 2010)

Tony Killeen: I expect the review will be completed by the end of May, which is not a very long time away. An overall structure then needs to be agreed with the Department of Finance. The Deputy is correct that that could have implications for the kind of recruitment that would be undertaken. If that were to be a long drawn out process I would be unhappy if the impact were to delay ordinary recruitment,...

Irish Red Cross Society. (21 Apr 2010)

Tony Killeen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 56, 67, 70, 87, and 96 together. The Irish Red Cross Society is an autonomous body, established by the Irish Red Cross Society Order 1939 pursuant to the Red Cross Act 1938. The society is an independent charitable organisation with full powers to manage and administer its affairs through its governing body, the central council. Membership of the central...

Irish Red Cross Society. (21 Apr 2010)

Tony Killeen: In his early sentences, Deputy Deenihan outlined the difficulty, namely, how to address a problem while at the same time staying at arm's length and remaining within the provisions of the law, which is a somewhat tricky assignment. I would be very concerned if the view were the one that has been expressed to him, namely, that matters are getting worse, which would be most unwelcome. My...

Irish Red Cross Society. (21 Apr 2010)

Tony Killeen: That is a substantial consideration in the current economic climate. I presume the quote read out the Deputy is a personal view of a person whom I do not know-----

Irish Red Cross Society. (21 Apr 2010)

Tony Killeen: -----and with whom I would strongly disagree. I have had an opportunity to examine the record of the previous Minister, Deputy Willie O'Dea, in this regard. Frankly, I do not believe I could have done any better, considering the issues he was trying to address and the constraints he was forced to operate within.

Irish Red Cross Society. (21 Apr 2010)

Tony Killeen: With regard to the question of the chair, it was not a matter that had been abandoned. Considerable work had been done by Deputy O'Dea in many areas regarding this issue, and I will not go back to the start but will benefit from that work. On all sides of the House, we agree that the International Red Cross and, by extension, the Irish Red Cross has a particularly positive standing and has...

Irish Red Cross Society. (21 Apr 2010)

Tony Killeen: I welcome the comments by Deputies O'Shea and Deenihan and agree with both in many respects. Ultimately, the logic of what Deputy O'Shea said in regard to State involvement cannot be argued against. That is a direction that may or may not be possible within the legal parameters that are currently in place under that Act, which, as the Deputy says, dates from a particular era and reflects...

Overseas Missions. (21 Apr 2010)

Tony Killeen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 49 and 50 together. MINURCAT was established under the authority of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1861 of 14 January 2009 to replace the EU-led EUFOR TCHAD-RCA mission in Chad and the Central African Republic with which in excess of 400 Irish Defence Forces personnel had been serving since May 2008. Ireland has participated in MINURCAT since...

Overseas Missions. (21 Apr 2010)

Tony Killeen: I thank Deputy Deenihan for his best wishes. I had the opportunity to visit Lieutenant General Dermot Earley on two occasions and I agree with what the Deputy said. On the press reports that the Irish decision might have undermined delicate negotiations, I have been unable to find any reliable source at UN level to indicate that. Long before my appointment, my predecessor and the...

Overseas Missions. (21 Apr 2010)

Tony Killeen: I thank Deputy O'Shea for his good wishes. He has the advantage of having had the benefit of a visit to Chad. The Deputy is correct that the strength of the Chadian military has been increased. The Government's preference was to have been able to continue in the MINURCAT mission. It is true, however, that considerable improvements have taken place and the impact of Irish and other United...

Overseas Missions. (21 Apr 2010)

Tony Killeen: I assure the House that our standing with the United Nations remains high. There are strong indications that we will receive further requests for assistance from the UN. As I indicated, Irish troops in Bosnia-Herzegovina will remain in the country for a much longer period than anticipated. They were due to return to Ireland in July but will now remain until the end of the year, assuming...

Overseas Missions. (21 Apr 2010)

Tony Killeen: I share the Deputy's concerns and his views on what should be done. Much would depend on the type of mandate operated by the UN. The current mission is under a Chapter VII mandate, which brings some freedoms and some restrictions. There are suggestions that any future mandate is likely to be under Chapter VI, which removes the role considerably further away from the direction Deputy O'Shea...

Defence Forces Deployment. (21 Apr 2010)

Tony Killeen: As part of the Estimates process for 2010, the Department sought to implement measures which would bring about the savings, or the equivalent thereof, as identified in the report of the special group on public service numbers and expenditure programmes. As part of this process and to achieve a reduction in current expenditure, the Minister for Defence proposed a cut to the Naval Service...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (20 Apr 2010)

Tony Killeen: The Government decision on decentralisation provides for the transfer of the Department's Dublin-based civil service staff, together with a number of military personnel, to Newbridge, Co. Kildare and for the decentralisation of the Defence Forces Headquarters (DFHQ) to the Curragh. The Department's Dublin-based civil servants, together with about 55 of the military personnel will relocate to...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Reserve: Defence Forces Reserve (20 Apr 2010)

Tony Killeen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 737 and 738 together. Officials from the Department are continuing to engage with the Military Authorities in relation to a review of structures and posts required to meet the operational requirements of the Defence Forces in light of the Government decision to maintain a Permanent Defence Force complement of 10,000 personnel. The review has not yet been...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Training: Defence Forces Training (20 Apr 2010)

Tony Killeen: The Government approved Ireland's participation in the Swedish-led Nordic Battlegroups 2008 and 2011. Regarding Nordic Battlegroup 2008, Irish Defence Forces participated in two joint training exercises. An exercise entitled 'Illuminated Summer' took place during the period 02-13 July 2007 while an exercise entitled 'Nordic Resolution' took place during the period 01-16 November 2007. The...