Results 9,561-9,580 of 12,596 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Written Answers — Child Care Facilities: Child Care Facilities (19 Feb 2008)

Willie O'Dea: A request to provide crèche facilities for members of the Defence Forces has been made by the Defence Forces Representative Associations. The Defence Forces Partnership Steering Group, which was established following on from Partnership 2000, has tasked a Partnership Sub-Committee with examining the issue of the provision of childcare facilities under a number of headings, including demand...

Written Answers — Court Cases: Court Cases (19 Feb 2008)

Willie O'Dea: As this matter is still within the Judicial process the Deputy will appreciate that it would be wholly inappropriate for me to comment on the matter.

Written Answers — Bullying in the Workplace: Bullying in the Workplace (19 Feb 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The Defence Forces and the Department have taken a wide variety of initiatives and have devoted extensive resources to this issue, since Dr Eileen Doyle and the External Advisory Committee presented their original report "The Challenge of a Workplace" in March 2002. This report addressed the entire range of interpersonal issues within the Defence Forces. Its contents and recommendations were...

Written Answers — Overseas Missions: Overseas Missions (19 Feb 2008)

Willie O'Dea: KFOR was established on 10 June, 1999 in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1244, for an initial period of twelve months, to continue thereafter unless the UN Security Council decides otherwise. KFOR's mandate is to establish a secure environment in Kosovo conducive to the implementation of refugee return and reconstruction. KFOR has a current strength of approximately...

Written Answers — Veterans Groups: Veterans Groups (19 Feb 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 134 and 165 together. The Organisation of National Ex-Servicemen and Women, or Óglaigh Náisiúnta na hÉireann Teoranta (ONET) has enjoyed the long-standing official recognition of my Department and the Defence Forces. ONET is dedicated to looking after the welfare of all ex-service personnel of the Irish Defence Forces. A main objective of ONET is to...

Written Answers — Commemorative Events: Commemorative Events (19 Feb 2008)

Willie O'Dea: A commemoration will be held this Easter Sunday at the GPO to mark the 92nd anniversary of the Easter Rising 1916. The format of this year's commemoration will be a military ceremony centred on the GPO with appropriate military honours rendered. Personnel from the Army, Air Corps, Naval Service and Reserve will participate and there will be an Air Corps fly past subject to prevailing weather...

Written Answers — Compensation Payments: Compensation Payments (19 Feb 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The information sought by the Deputy is in the form of a Tabular Statement. The figures in the Tabular Statement represent the amounts paid in settlement of actions against the Minister for Defence. They include payments to serving and non-serving members of the Permanent and Reserve Defence Forces in respect of personal injuries and material damage. They also include amounts paid to Civilian...

Written Answers — Army Barracks: Army Barracks (19 Feb 2008)

Willie O'Dea: Defence Forces Regulations require members of the Defence Forces to live in Barracks unless they are given permission to live out. Over the years the practice has been for significant numbers of personnel to live out of barracks. Currently, the Defence Forces have the capacity to provide long-term living-in accommodation for up to 2,800 personnel, which represents about 25% of all personnel....

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (19 Feb 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The Government Decision on decentralisation, announced by the Minister for Finance in his Budget Statement on 3 December 2003, provides for the transfer of all of my Department's Dublin based civil service staff to Newbridge, Co. Kildare and the transfer of Defence Forces Headquarters to the Curragh. In addition to the 200 civil servants who will be based in Newbridge, over 40 military...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Recruitment: Defence Forces Recruitment (19 Feb 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I have carefully considered the recent report of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child including the suggesting of raising the minimum age for recruitment to the Defence Forces. Attracting, training and retaining good calibre personnel are key factors in maintaining the successful operation of the Defence Forces at home and abroad. The Defence Forces compete to attract these personnel...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Medical Officers: Defence Forces Medical Officers (19 Feb 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The military authorities have advised that, based on a review of the current Medical Register, Defence Forces Medical Officers hold the following registration Specialist Register Number of Defence Forces Medical Officers Occupational Medicine Six Sports Medicine One Psychiatry One Pathology One General Practice One The one person entered on the sports medicine section of the Register...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Expenditure: Defence Forces Expenditure (19 Feb 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The numbers of civilian doctors, dentists, pharmacists and physiotherapists who provided services to the Defence Forces, in the year ending 31 December, 2007 are listed as follows: Amount paid â'¬ Doctors 334 2,425,436 Physios 121 439,034 Dentists 167 1,113,385 Pharmacies1 35 512,450 Pharmacists2 2 46,080 1The amount shown under Pharmacies is in respect of...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Strength: Defence Forces Strength (19 Feb 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 145 and 616 together. The White Paper on Defence of February 2000 set out a figure of 10,500 personnel for the Permanent Defence Force 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. It is my intention to maintain the established Government...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Properties: Defence Forces Properties (19 Feb 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The total amount accrued from Department of Defence properties disposed of in 2007 was €1.617 million, comprised of the following sales: Ballincollig, Co. Cork — €1,183,588 Fort Camden, Crosshaven, Co. Cork — €64,008 Market House, Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan — €122,824 Married Quarters — No. 47 McKee Park, Dublin 7 — €127,016 Married Quarters — No. 16 Orchard Park, Curragh,...

Written Answers — National Monuments: National Monuments (19 Feb 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 147 and 162 together. The Memorial being designed by the artist, Mr. Brian King, is a pyramid shape made primarily of granite slabs resting on a steel frame interspaced with toughened glass panels. In the structure there are figures representing members of the Defence Forces. Four Defence Forces personnel in relief are cast in bronze, representing the Air...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Strength: Defence Forces Strength (19 Feb 2008)

Willie O'Dea: My Department does not currently have any non-national staff as described by the Deputy. As the headquarters of my Department is decentralising in full to Newbridge, Co. Kildare, and that location is oversubscribed with applicants on the Central Applications Facility (CAF), recruitment in recent years has been limited to existing civil service staff from the CAF who applied to relocate to...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Medical Officers: Defence Forces Medical Officers (19 Feb 2008)

Willie O'Dea: There are six retired Defence Forces Medical Officers who are currently engaged on a regular basis to provide medical services to the Defence Forces. These Practitioners are engaged, as required, and are paid on an item of service basis. Three of these Practitioners are aged over 65 years. These Practitioners are practising in a private capacity.

Written Answers — Search and Rescue Service: Search and Rescue Service (19 Feb 2008)

Willie O'Dea: The Irish Coast Guard has overall responsibility for the provision of maritime Search and Rescue services within the Irish Search and Rescue region, for pollution and salvage response in the marine environment, and for marine safety awareness. Responsibility for the prevention of drug trafficking rests primarily with An Garda Síochána and the Revenue Commissioners. However, the White Paper...

Written Answers — Commemorative Events: Commemorative Events (19 Feb 2008)

Willie O'Dea: I wrote to Party Leaders on the 17th of January, inviting them to nominate representatives to the Group. I have only received one nomination to date. I hope to arrange a meeting of the new group as soon as I receive nominations from the other Party Leaders.

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (19 Feb 2008)

Willie O'Dea: Following the Road Traffic Accident involving a military vehicle near Granard, County Longford, in June 2007, a working group, consisting of a board of officers, was established by the Defence Forces to investigate the possible provision of Roll-Over Protection Systems (ROPS) in Troop Carrying Vehicles. The Group contacted a number of retailers of ROPS in order to obtain information on the...