Results 8,941-8,960 of 12,596 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Army Barracks. (26 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: This is playing politics and talking out of two sides of one's mouth.

Army Barracks. (26 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: Perhaps Deputy Deenihan will enlighten the House——

Army Barracks. (26 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: ——as to where Fine Gael stands on this matter. Is Fine Gael for or against the closure of the barracks?

Army Barracks. (26 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I would like to get some clarification. The people are entitled to know where Fine Gael stands on this important matter.

Information and Communications Technology. (26 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: Cyber security, cyber crime and Internet security represent challenges that are constantly evolving and require vigilance and appropriate responses. Cyber security is multifaceted. The nature of the threat and the potential impact also varies considerably depending on the approach and objective of those with malicious intent. Each State agency, business and individual should take every...

Information and Communications Technology. (26 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The Department of Defence is not the lead Department. We operate the same system as under the emergency planning provisions. Each Department is primarily responsible for its own security. The central, co-ordinating Department is the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. That has been agreed by the committee on emergency planning. I am aware of the situation in...

Information and Communications Technology. (26 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I agree with Deputy O'Shea about the possible devastating impact of such an attack. Considerable discussion has taken place on who should be the lead Department in this regard and after due consideration it was decided that the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources should be the lead Department. I do not have time to go into all the factors that led to that conclusion...

Defence Forces Policy. (26 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The White Paper on Defence 2000 sets out defence policy and a framework for modernisation and change over the period to end 2010. This framework has provided the overarching modernisation goals for the Defence Forces. Action plans under successive pay agreements have underpinned this ongoing modernisation process. The commitment to which the Deputy refers is contained in the action plan...

Defence Forces Policy. (26 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I do not believe it is a breach of the pay agreement. My understanding of the pay agreement is that if we were proposing to close barracks in normal circumstances we would consult. As Deputy Deenihan knows, this was a budgetary decision taken by Government in regard to cutting public expenditure generally. This relates to the Department of Defence specifically. It was not a unilateral...

Defence Forces Policy. (26 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: First, it is not all about cost. It is also about collective training. I have been under pressure from the military from the time I took over this Department to consolidate the number of barracks to allow people going into dangerous foreign territory to train together. It is felt to be in the interest of the safety of the troops that they should train together in advance of going into...

Defence Forces Policy. (26 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I can confirm to Deputy Deenihan that I have a good deal of correspondence to back that up. Second, in regard to cost, the Deputy will be aware there is a later question on cost which we will reach. However, a cost-benefit analysis done by the Department shows that the total cost of this measure over the next three years will be approximately €5.9 million. As against that, recurrent...

Defence Forces Property. (26 Nov 2008)

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 consolidation process is designed to facilitate collective training and improved training standards, while also freeing up under-utilised resources and personnel for operational duties. The dispersal of personnel over an...

Defence Forces Property. (26 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: One of the first things I received when I came into the Ministry of Defence was a request from the military to close further barracks on the basis that peace had arrived in Northern Ireland and there was no justification for seven Border posts. The British were already in the process of beginning to close their Border posts. The point was very forcefully made to me about the necessity for...

Defence Forces Property. (26 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I contest those figures. I am told that €500,000 is all that is necessary to immediately spend on the barracks to which the troops are going because there are extensive facilities available in those barracks already. I am taking into account the various allowances, the cost of transportation and that €500,000. We envisage spending another €2.5 million on infrastructure over the next...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (25 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: No organisations or agencies under the auspices of my Department have been amalgamated or eliminated due to budgetary measures.

Written Answers — Army Barracks: Army Barracks (25 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The decision to close a number of barracks was made in the context of the budget and was announced in the budget statement by my colleague the Minister for Finance, Mr Brian Lenihan T.D. While the decision was made in the context of realising savings in the Defence budget, the decision was not purely a financial one. The closure of barracks and the consolidation of the Defence Forces...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (25 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The information sought by the Deputy in relation to consultants is outlined in the following table. Name of Consultancy firm Work Carried Out Cost € 2007 Petrus Consulting Carried out Quality Assurance of Value for Money Review of Clothing Procurement 2,904 2007 Murray Consultants Public Information and Awareness Campaign initiated 253,300 There is an ongoing capital building...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (25 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I have outlined in the following table the total number of claimants and the total amount spent in respect of mileage allowances for civil servants and civilian employees of my Department in 2007. However, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of mileage allowance into the other categories requested, except to say that no payments were made in respect of the cycling allowance. A...

Written Answers — Army Barracks: Army Barracks (25 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: It is anticipated that Monaghan Army Barracks will be disposed of, taking account of market conditions, so as to maximise the return to the Defence Forces and generate funding for reinvestment in Defence Forces equipment and infrastructure in accordance with Government policy. I am assured by the military authorities that there is a range of available accommodation and facilities in place...

Written Answers — Overseas Missions: Overseas Missions (25 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I last visited Liberia during the period from 28 February 2006 to 2 March 2006 where I met with Irish personnel of 94th Infantry Battalion serving with UNMIL. A party of 10 people accompanied me on this trip which included five members of the media. The Gulfstream aircraft was tasked with this mission and all 10 members of the party travelled with me on this aircraft. My Department follows...