Results 8,481-8,500 of 12,593 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Departmental Properties. (6 May 2009)

Willie O'Dea: It certainly will not be years. I am informed it will be very shortly. I will try to get a more precise timescale for the Deputy.

Reserve Defence Force. (6 May 2009)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 66, 69, 83, 84, 89, 97, 99 and 104 together. The Reserve Defence Force review implementation plan provides for the phased enhancement of the Reserve over the period from 2004 to the end of 2009. Significant progress has been made to date in implementing the plan. The Reserve has been re-organised along similar lines to the Permanent Defence Force. There has...

Reserve Defence Force. (6 May 2009)

Willie O'Dea: Regarding Deputy Deenihan's first question, the numbers in the Reserve on 31 March last were 7,513 personnel - 5,761 male and 1,752 female.

Reserve Defence Force. (6 May 2009)

Willie O'Dea: I will communicate that to the Deputy. I do not have it to hand.

Reserve Defence Force. (6 May 2009)

Willie O'Dea: It is something in that order, yes. We will communicate the figure to the Deputy. We are awaiting recommendations from the military authorities on how best to deal with the first line Reserve. Those recommendations have not come to hand as yet. Regarding the integrated Reserve and the initial results in terms of getting a particular group of the Reserve to integrate to allow them step in...

Reserve Defence Force. (6 May 2009)

Willie O'Dea: Overseas?

Reserve Defence Force. (6 May 2009)

Willie O'Dea: It was abandoned because the relevant legislation provides that overseas service is confined to members of the Permanent Defence Force. The Reserve Defence Force members are not members of the Permanent Defence Force but it was hoped to temporarily integrate members of the Reserve in the Permanent Defence Force. I refer to the members of the Reserve who had done the integrated training and...

Reserve Defence Force. (6 May 2009)

Willie O'Dea: The Deputy has asked many questions.

Reserve Defence Force. (6 May 2009)

Willie O'Dea: On active and inactive members, it is impossible to give a precise answer to that.

Reserve Defence Force. (6 May 2009)

Willie O'Dea: All I can say is that the reserve has been vigilant in recent years in removing inactive persons from the roll. Last year 4,321 reservists utilised 81,000 man-days in terms of paid training. The total number on the books is 7,500. I am convinced that the majority of those would be fairly active.

Reserve Defence Force. (6 May 2009)

Willie O'Dea: As near as I can, I will get the figures for Deputy Stanton. On the Deputy's other point, I agree that the reserve is a useful outlet for persons who are interested in matters military. I do not know how many will resign between now and the end of the year. The trend in recent years has been that the numbers joining the reserve have been falling off, but in the changed economic environment...

Reserve Defence Force. (6 May 2009)

Willie O'Dea: The reasons for consistently recruiting have not disappeared. The embargo has interrupted those for the good reason that we must bring the public finances back into control.

Reserve Defence Force. (6 May 2009)

Willie O'Dea: I can confirm that. That is my intention. There is no intention to disband the reserve. On the specific problem Deputy O'Connor mentioned, I already indicated to the House in reply to earlier questions that it is a matter I will take up. I have been discussing it with my officials and I will take it up with the Department of Finance to see whether we can get around that issue. The...

Leaders' Questions (6 May 2009)

Willie O'Dea: The Deputy can make whatever he wants from talking at the doors.

Leaders' Questions (6 May 2009)

Willie O'Dea: Where were those cuts to be implemented? It was all about a performance budget.

Overseas Missions. (6 May 2009)

Willie O'Dea: On 15 March 2009, MINURCAT, the United Nation's-led mission in Chad and the Central African Republic, assumed operational control of the UN force of 2,085 personnel, including 1,877 troops re-hatted from eight EUFOR contributors. An Irish officer, Brigadier General Gerald Aherne, has been appointed deputy force commander in the mission. In the eight short weeks or so since MINURCAT took over...

Overseas Missions. (6 May 2009)

Willie O'Dea: It concerns me that there are shortfalls in the mission to date. As Deputy Deenihan is aware, MINURCAT has taken over since 15 March and there are some teething problems. To the best of my knowledge, the fuel crisis was unanticipated. The Irish troops have been sent out to Chad, as have the other MINURCAT troops, to do a job and anything that prevents them doing it to the best of their...

Overseas Missions. (6 May 2009)

Willie O'Dea: As we will see in the reply to the next question, the restriction on playing sports has nothing whatsoever to do with the fuel crisis.

Overseas Missions. (6 May 2009)

Willie O'Dea: We will come to that. I was merely responding to something Deputy Deenihan said.

Overseas Missions. (6 May 2009)

Willie O'Dea: The troops are not confined to barracks. They are not able to engage in some routine patrols due to rationing of fuel. Fuel usage has been prioritised for life supports systems in the camp such as air conditioning, to which Deputy Deenihan referred, and lighting and heating. I am advised that the situation should substantially be resolved within the next three weeks, in which case, I hope,...