Results 9,001-9,020 of 12,596 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Written Answers — Price Increases: Price Increases (30 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: No price increases have been imposed by my Department since 1 January 2008. During the same period, the only price increase by an agency under the aegis of my Department was an increase in the fees charged by Coiste an Asgard in respect of cruises on board Asgard II. The fees for the 2008 cruise programme were increased by amounts ranging from 15% to 20%. The most recent increase in the...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (30 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: Arising from a recommendation made in 1990 by the Commission on Remuneration and Conditions of Service in the Defence Forces (the Gleeson Commission), Military Service Allowance (MSA) was made pensionable in the case of personnel retiring on or after 1 August 1990. This approach was fully consistent with settled public service pensions policy which provides that the benefit of an allowance...

Order of Business (30 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: Deputy Bannon flunked it. You flunked it. You are just a straw man. You are just a clown. Go away and resign yourself. Or else take a Valium.

Order of Business (30 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: He flunked it. He did not even dare come up and see me.

Order of Business (30 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: You flunked it. You are just a straw man.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (29 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: Civil Service posts at the levels of Assistant Secretary and Deputy Secretary are covered by a scheme of performance related awards. The operation of the scheme is overseen by the Committee for Performance Awards (CPA). Details of awards to individual officers under the scheme are not disclosed on the basis that they are confidential to the officer concerned. However, I can say that during...

Written Answers — Army Barracks: Army Barracks (29 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: 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, administration, maintenance and...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Recruitment: Defence Forces Recruitment (29 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: Earlier this year the projected figure for recruitment to the Permanent Defence Force in 2008 was in the region of 690 general service recruits, 30 apprentices and 45 Cadets. To date in 2008 a total of 506 general service recruits have been enlisted of which 440 were to the Army and 66 to the Naval Service. Following the Cadetship Competition 41 Cadets commenced their cadet training on 29...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (23 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The information sought by the Deputy is set out in the following table. Post No. Salary Scale Special Adviser 1 Principal Officer Standard Scale: €86,168 — €106,582 Press Adviser 1 Principal Officer Standard Scale: €86,168 — €106,582

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (23 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The Government decided on 1 July 2003 that Magee Barracks, Kildare, would be among the State lands released for inclusion in the Sustaining Progress Affordable Housing Initiative. With regard to Magee Barracks, I am pleased to advise you that my Department is currently finalising contracts with the Chief State Solicitor's Office and the final contract should be forwarded to Kildare County...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (23 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: In April 2008 a Public Information and Awareness Campaign on Emergency Planning was launched at the National Emergency Coordination Centre. The main focus of the campaign was the publication and distribution of a handbook — 'Preparing for Major Emergencies'. The handbook was distributed to every household in the country. The cost of design, compilation, printing and distribution of 1.8...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (23 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 183 and 184 together. The estimated costs of incremental pay increases together with the estimated full year impact of the 2.5% pay increase and the proposed 3.5% pay increase are set out in the following tables. These estimates are based on existing personnel numbers and do not reflect any changes in numbers or profile of staff that might take place in the...

Written Answers — Sail Training Vessel: Sail Training Vessel (22 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18, 23 and 46 together. The Marine Casualty Investigation Board, which is a statutory, independent body, is carrying out an investigation into the cause of the sinking of Asgard II on 11 September. I have no information as to when the result of that investigation will be available. Asgard II was insured with Allianz Plc in the sum of €3.8m. Following...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Ombudsman: Defence Forces Ombudsman (22 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces was established under the Ombudsman (Defence Forces) Act 2004. On 19 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. Her term of office was recently extended for a further three years from 19 September 2008. I am advised...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (22 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: There are existing controls in place to ensure that there can be no interference to inventoried weapons assigned to a Unit of the Defence Forces. All weapons are stored in sound and secure premises where access is restricted to designated personnel. There are frequent and detailed inspections of the serial-numbered assets and items of controlled stores. Defence Force Regulation L2 on...

Written Answers — Overseas Missions: Overseas Missions (22 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The reduction in funding is due to the fact that substantial travel and freight costs incurred this year on the initial deployment by the Defence Forces to the EUFOR Chad mission will not arise in 2009.

Written Answers — Naval Service Vessels: Naval Service Vessels (22 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 29 together. 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 8-ship flotilla and committed to a modernisation and replacement strategy...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (22 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The total number of personnel on the payroll of my Department is as follows: Permanent Defence Force Civilian Employees Civil Service Staff* Total 31/12/97 11,472 1,260 426 13,158 31/12/02 10,559 1,025 415.1 11,999.1 31/12/07 10,434 829 385.4 11,648.4 *Whole Time Equivalents. The figures for civil service staff in 1997 and 2002 include staff of the Civil Defence Branch which was set up...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (22 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 25 and 50 together. I am advised that the Defence Forces signed a contract at the end of May 2008 with a UK company, Air Partner Commercial Jets, for the charter of two Ukrainian Mi -8T helicopters. Air Partner contracted the two Mi-8Ts helicopters from the Ayr Group UK, the owners of both helicopters. The helicopters operate on the civilian register under a...

Written Answers — Military Medical Services: Military Medical Services (22 Oct 2008)

Willie O'Dea: Military medical services and their facilities exist to maintain the health of the Defence Forces and to support them in operational and overseas activities. The focus of the military medical service is on primary care, occupational medicine, acute trauma management, preventative medical programmes and field medical training. The challenges in the medical arena have been recognised for some...