Results 9,021-9,040 of 12,631 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (11 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: All personnel who retired in each of the past three years were paid the standard civil service gratuity and pension. Details of the gratuities paid in each of those years are contained in the following table: Year Total Paid in Severance Packages Number of retiring staff members â'¬ 2005 731,236.13 10 2006 533,938.28 5 2007 594,580.64 10 In addition, retiring staff members also...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (11 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: My Department is engaged in an on-going capital building programme designed to modernise and enhance the training, operational and accommodation facilities available to the Defence Forces both Permanent and Reserve. The programme focuses mainly on infrastructural projects such as the refurbishment of existing buildings and the construction of new buildings where required. I have been advised...

Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (11 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The public procurement rules do not specify the number of copies of tender documents to be submitted but they do permit contracting authorities to require the submission of tenders solely by electronic means. The national public procurement website, www.etenders.gov.ie, known as e-tenders and provided by the National Public Procurement Policy Unit of the Department of Finance, has a facility...

Written Answers — Departmental Transport: Departmental Transport (11 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 494 and 495 together. I wish to state that while I do use public transport on occasions no costs have been incurred by me for the use of public transport on official business since I took office. In relation to my officials, the amount paid in respect of the use of bus and rail transport while on official business, since 2007, is €25,493.15. This figure...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (11 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: My Department is decentralising to Newbridge, Co. Kildare and Defence Force Headquarters to the Curragh, Co. Kildare. Site acquisition and building construction costs are borne on the Vote for the Office of Public Works. No costs have been incurred by my Department to date in relation to either of these projects.

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (6 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: My Department is engaged in an on-going capital building programme designed to modernise and enhance the training, operational and accommodation facilities available to the Defence Forces both Permanent and Reserve. The programme focuses mainly on infrastructural projects comprising the construction of new buildings and the refurbishment of existing buildings. In the period 2000 to 2008 the...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (6 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 223 and 224 together. The information requested is set out in the following tables: Minister for Defence, Mr Willie O'Dea, T.D. Staff dealing with Constituency matters located in my Department Number Grade Salary Scale as at 01/09/2008 1 Executive Officer Executive Officer PPC scale €32,179 – €51,054 1 Staff Officer Staff Officer Scale PPC...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Training: Defence Forces Training (6 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: A breakdown of the number of Defence Force personnel who have undergone potential NCO courses in each of the past three years and the number of persons who have successfully completed the course are in the form of Tabular Statements as follows. No. of Personnel who began Potential NCO Courses 2005 2006 2007 Total 1 Southern Bde 39 Nil 12 51 2 Eastern Bde 55 39 58 152 4 Western Bde...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (6 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: My Department has in place a database, known as Human Resources Management System (HRMS), for managing attendance. This system provides a suite of reporting tools for monitoring and analysing absence data. Absences arise for many reasons, such as annual leave, sick leave, worksharing and career breaks. Absenteeism is usually defined as the time lost attributable to sickness or any other...

Written Answers — Army Barracks: Army Barracks (5 Nov 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 — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (5 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: There is a single Press Office in my Department comprising of the following staff: Number Position 1 Press Advisor 1 Press Officer (Assistant Principal) 1 (part-time) Executive Officer The role of the Press Adviser and the Press Officer in my Department is to provide, in conjunction with the Defence Forces Press Officer and the Government Information Services, a high quality press and...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (5 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 319 to 322, inclusive, together. The Deputy will be aware that the Government decision on decentralisation provides for the transfer of my Department's Dublin-based civil service staff, together with a number of military personnel, to Newbridge, Co. Kildare and for the decentralisation of Defence Forces Headquarters (DFHQ) to the Curragh. I am pleased to...

Written Answers — Army Barracks: Army Barracks (4 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: It is not possible to give a detailed breakdown by individual barracks due to the extensive effort involved in compiling the information required. However, the Defence Forces spend approximately €11 million annually on utilities such as electricity, gas, heating oil, water and waste disposal across twenty seven military installations including barracks and training areas. Another €12...

Written Answers — Ministerial Responsibilities: Ministerial Responsibilities (4 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The Minster of State at my Department, Deputy Pat Carey also performs the role of Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach. While I have not delegated a specific function to the Minister of State, I do however on an ongoing basis request his assistance in the execution of certain duties. Minister Carey has deputised for me at official events on a number...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (4 Nov 2008)

Willie O'Dea: My Department has no specific budget for youth affairs in 2008 or 2009.

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.