Results 10,041-10,060 of 12,596 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I am aware of the issues raised by the Ombudsman for Children relating to the optional protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflicts. The optional protocol was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in May 2000. Ireland signed the optional protocol on 7 September 2000 and ratified the instrument on 18 November 2002....

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I do so gladly. As I indicated, the regulations prohibit members of the Defence Forces being sent abroad until after their 18th birthday. There is a low theoretical possibility that a person aged under 18 years could be involved in hostilities here. I assure the House that, having discussed this matter with the Chief of Staff when the question was submitted, I have been assured that there...

Reserve Defence Force. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 27 together. The White Paper on Defence 2000 and the Reserve Defence Force review implementation plan of 2002 set out the blueprint for the RDF with an implementation plan extending to 2009. The implementation plan is being rolled out on a phased basis and there has been significant progress in implementing its detailed recommendations, such as a new...

Reserve Defence Force. (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The Deputies raised a number of issues. As recommended in the White Paper, much work has been done to substantially reorganise the reserve, which now mirrors the structure of the PDF. Extra money has been spent on clothing, training, updating equipment, etc. Now that those changes have been made, the process of integration will begin. The take-up in the pilot programme is disappointing and...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Personnel: Defence Forces Personnel (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: Significant progress has been made recently in implementing schemes to enable more commissioning from the ranks. The revised cadetship competition is now seen as the primary means of commissioning from the ranks. The cadetship competition has been revised to increase the maximum entry age to 28 and to award bonus marks to candidates with previous experience in the Permanent Defence Force...

Written Answers — White Paper on Defence: White Paper on Defence (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The current White Paper on Defence, which was published in February 2000, was the first-ever White Paper on Defence and set out the policy framework and development strategy for the period 2000-2010. The overall Government objective was to achieve affordable and sustainable Defence Forces capable of fulfilling the roles laid down by Government. A detailed review of White Paper implementation...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 42 together. The acquisition of new equipment for the Defence Forces continues to be a key focus for me as Minister for Defence. Significant investment has taken place in recent years across all facets and elements of the Defence Forces. This investment has been assisted by pay savings arising from the reduction in the strength of the Permanent Defence...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Strength: Defence Forces Strength (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 17, 21, 28, 40, 108 and 113 together. The strength of the Permanent Defence Force on 31 August 2007, the latest date for which detailed figures are available, as advised by the military authorities was 10,382. This comprises 8,497 in the Army, 846 in the Air Corps and 1,039 in the Naval Service. A detailed breakdown of the numbers in the Army, Naval Service...

Written Answers — Army Deafness Claims: Army Deafness Claims (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: A total of 16,791 claims have been received from current and former members of the Defence Forces in respect of loss of hearing allegedly caused during their military service. 15,887 claims have been disposed of to date. €284.8 million has been paid in respect of hearing loss claims including €97.7 million in plaintiffs' legal costs. The plaintiffs' legal costs include the fees of the...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Report: Defence Forces Report (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I am very pleased with the performance of my Department and the Defence Forces, the achievements of which are outlined in detail in the 2006 Annual Report. Among the significant developments that took place in 2006 and which are detailed in the Report were: All ATCP (Aid to the Civil Power) and ACA (Aid to the Civil Authority) requests were met. We continued to meet Ireland's international...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The issue of workplace childcare has been addressed in recent National Wages Agreements under the Social Partnership heading. The Government is fully supportive of measures to improve child care facilities. A request to provide crèche facilities for members of the Defence Forces has been made by both of the Defence Forces Representative Associations.

Written Answers — Retention Rates: Retention Rates (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: A detailed breakdown of the number of persons discharged from the Defence Forces (other than on age grounds or termination of engagement) from 1 January to 31 August 2007 is set out in the following tabular statement. Breakdown of discharges from the Defence Forces (other than on age grounds or termination of engagement) from 1 January 2007 to 31 August 2007 Discharge/Retirement...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Allowances: Defence Forces Allowances (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: In my address to the PDFORRA Annual Delegate Conference in 2006 I invited the Association to submit a claim for an increase in Overseas Allowance. In accordance with normal procedures the Association's claim is being dealt with under the Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme (C&A scheme) for members of the Permanent Defence Force and has been the subject of correspondence between my Department...

Written Answers — Overseas Missions: Overseas Missions (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The annual leave entitlements for members of the Defence Forces are as follows: a. Senior Officers days 43 b. Junior Officers days 31 c. Enlisted Personnel days 29 These annual leave entitlements are reduced by a set amount while the member of the Defence Forces is on an overseas tour of duty. The reduction is 3.5 days per month for senior officers, 2.5 days per month for junior...

Written Answers — Maritime Safety: Maritime Safety (4 Oct 2007)

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. In accordance with the roles assigned to them by Government in the White Paper on Defence, the Defence Forces are committed to providing support to...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Reserve: Defence Forces Reserve (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: In reply to Parliamentary Question No. 562 of 6 February 2007, I stated that it was intended to commence promotion competitions [from the rank of Captain (Army Reserve)/Lieutenant (Naval Service Reserve) to Commandant (Army Reserve)/Lieutenant Commander (Naval Service Reserve)] no later than April 2007. The promotion boards were convened in April, 2007 and their deliberations concluded in...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The Government decided in December 2003 that my Department's Dublin-based staff are to be decentralised to Newbridge, Co. Kildare with Defence Forces Headquarters decentralising to the Curragh. The Office of Public Works published the planning notification for the new Defence Forces' Headquarters in the national press on 13 July 2007. No observations were received in relation to this...

Written Answers — Civil Defence Board: Civil Defence Board (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The Civil Defence Board was established in 2003 and is charged with the development and management of the organisation at National level. The Board is obliged to submit its Strategic Plan to me for approval every three years. I recently launched the 2nd Strategic Plan of the Civil Defence Board which covers the period 2007-2010 and which has been laid before the House. I was very encouraged...

Written Answers — Overseas Missions: Overseas Missions (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The level of medical cover for spouses of Defence Forces personnel who accompany them on accompanied overseas missions is currently the subject of a claim from the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers. The claim is being dealt with through the Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme for members of the Permanent Defence Force. As discussions under the scheme are confidential to...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Personnel: Defence Forces Personnel (4 Oct 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The main day-to-day role of the Naval Service is to provide a fishery protection service in accordance with the State's obligations as a member of the European Union. The Service is tasked with patrolling all Irish waters from the shoreline to the outer limits of the Exclusive Fishery Limits. The number of Patrol Vessels on patrol in Irish waters at any one time varies between three and...