Results 8,721-8,740 of 12,596 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Written Answers — Overseas Missions: Overseas Missions (4 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 152, 223, 224, 226 and 228 together. Ireland has offered, through the UN Standby Arrangements System (UNSAS), to provide up to 850 military personnel for overseas service at any one time. This figure equates to some 10% of Ireland's standing Army (excluding Reserves) and demonstrates Ireland's commitment to the cause of international peace. This is the maximum...

Written Answers — Discretionary Service Medals: Discretionary Service Medals (4 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: Defence Force Regulations A9 provide for the criteria and procedures for awarding Medals and Decorations to personnel of the Defence Forces. These Regulations require that any recommendations for possible awards must be made in accordance with the relevant procedures, and in the case of recommendations for the award of Distinguished Service Medals, such recommendation should be made not later...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Ombudsman: Defence Forces Ombudsman (4 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: The Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces was established under the Ombudsman (Defence Forces) Act 2004. On the 19th September 2005, Ms. Paulyn Marrinan-Quinn SC was appointed by the President, upon the recommendation of the Government, as the first Ombudsman for the Defence Forces. I am advised that the Ombudsman has a staff level of four (4), consisting of the Ombudsman, an...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Purchases: Defence Forces Purchases (4 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: The principle of competitive tendering for Government contracts is used for the acquisition of defensive equipment for the Army. Central to those procedures is the requirement to allow fair competition between suppliers through the submission of tenders, which are assessed on the basis of obtaining best value for money by the Department of Defence. The principles of transparency,...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (4 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 216 and 217 together. The consolidation of the Defence Forces formations into a smaller number of locations is a key objective of the White Paper on Defence. The dispersal of personnel over an extended number of locations is a major impediment to essential collective training. It also imposes increased and unnecessary overheads on the Defence Forces in terms...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (4 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: The press conferences and policy launches held by my Department in 2007 and 2008 were as follows: Date Event Cost 29th March 2007 Review of the 35th Infantry Group KFOR leaving for peacekeeping duties in Kosovo Nil 5th April 2007 Launch by Minister O'Dea of two reports regarding The issues affecting the recruitment and retention of women in the Defence Forces, and A review of the...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Strength: Defence Forces Strength (4 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: The White Paper on Defence of February 2000 set out a figure of 10,500 personnel for the Permanent Defence Force (Army 8,426, Naval Service 1,144, Air Corps 930) as the strength sufficient to meet all foreseeable military requirements for the period comprehended by the White Paper (i.e. up to 2010). This remains the position. In common with other areas of the public service a reduction of 3%...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (4 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: The acquisition of new equipment for the Defence Forces will continue to be a key focus for me as Minister for Defence. It is, of course, very important that my Department and the Defence Forces look to whatever efficiencies we can make taking into account the current difficult economic environment and the financial envelope available for the Department for military equipment over the coming...

Written Answers — Air Corps Strength: Air Corps Strength (4 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: The White Paper on Defence of February 2000 set out a figure of 10,500 personnel for the Permanent Defence Force (Army 8,426, Naval Service 1,144, Air Corps 930) as the strength sufficient to meet all foreseeable military requirements for the period comprehended by the White Paper (i.e. up to 2010). This remains the position. In common with other areas of the public service a reduction of 3%...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (4 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: The Naval Service provides the maritime element of the Defence Forces and has a general responsibility to meet contingent and actual maritime defence requirements. In the 2000 White Paper on Defence, the Government decided that the Naval Service would be based on an eight ship flotilla and committed to a modernisation and replacement strategy to maximise the operational capacity of those...

Written Answers — Overseas Missions: Overseas Missions (4 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: Ireland participated in the Nordic Battlegroup (NBG), which was on standby from 1 January 2008 to 30 June 2008. The other members of the Nordic Battlegroup were Sweden, acting as Framework Nation, Finland, Norway and Estonia. The Defence Forces contribution to the NBG was an Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Improvised Explosive Device Disposal (EOD/IEDD) contingent with its own security...

Military Medical Services. (4 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: Deputy Deenihan asked if I was satisfied the current service is adequate. A number of issues are involved. First, it is adequate. Any soldier who needs primary care will get it. I agree there is a shortage of doctors in the Army, but we have an arrangement, as the Deputy will be aware, with civilian doctors who step into the breach. That has been the established position for many years....

Military Medical Services. (4 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: Deputy Deenihan asked me a question about the medical board and I will answer it.

Military Medical Services. (4 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: According to the official script I received from the Department, sick leave in the Defence Forces is not significantly out of line with the range across the public service and this is the information on which I am relying.

Military Medical Services. (4 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: I do not accept for one second the contention that there is extra sick leave in the Defence Forces because people cannot see a doctor quickly. People in the Defence Forces can get treatment for primary medical conditions and see a doctor as quickly as anybody else. Even though we do not have sufficient doctors in the Army there is a very good arrangement between the Army and civilian...

Military Medical Services. (4 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: So far as the consultants' report is concerned, I concede that I expected it by the end of last year. It has not arrived. I asked about it again today and I expect to have it within the coming weeks. I understand it was ready but was held back to make improvements which is fair enough. With regard to medical boards, I accept the point that there are delays due to the small number of...

Military Medical Services. (4 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: We are examining urgently a way to speed this up. The minimum period is 56 days but it is running well beyond this in some cases.

Army Barracks. (4 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: The closure of barracks and the consolidation of the Defence Forces formations into a smaller number of locations is a key objective of the White Paper on Defence. The dispersal of personnel over an extended number of locations is a major impediment to essential collective training. It also imposes increased and unnecessary overheads on the Defence Forces in terms of barrack management,...

Army Barracks. (4 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: I have no difficulty with Deputy Deenihan's suggestion. The particular closures we are discussing and which have just taken place were part of a budget announcement and it is not permissible to discuss aspects of the budget in advance so we can prepare for their implementation. This was the difficulty.

Army Barracks. (4 Feb 2009)

Willie O'Dea: It was decided as part of the budget process. If further barracks closures take place it would be preferable if it were decided outside the budgetary process so advance consultation could take place. However, it could not take place in this case because it was part of a budgetary process.