Results 10,241-10,260 of 12,596 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Written Answers — Defence Forces Review: Defence Forces Review (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I am pleased to inform the House that the review of implementation of White Paper recommendations has been completed by a civil/military Group in my Department. The report of the Group is currently under consideration and I hope to be in a position to publish it very shortly. I will arrange to have copies placed in the Oireachtas library in due course.

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: In December 2005, a contract was signed with Mowag for the supply, in 2007, of fifteen (15) Piranha Armoured Vehicles with a different configuration to previously delivered APCs. Nine (9) of the fifteen vehicles will be fitted with a Kongsberg Remote Weapon Station with a 12.7mm machine gun and six (6) will be fitted with an Oto Melara turret armed with a 30mm cannon. The contract value is...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Personnel: Defence Forces Personnel (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: Details on the average ages, by rank, have only been maintained on an annualised basis since 2001. The following table details this for Officers and Enlisted Personnel: Average Age by Rank in the PDF as at 31 December 2001 and 31 December 2006 Officers Rank 2001 2006 Increase/ Decrease (years) Brigadier General 58.20 57.25 -0.95 Colonel 55.82 56.49 0.67 Lieutenant Colonel 51.78 53.22...

Written Answers — Overseas Missions: Overseas Missions (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: KFOR was established in June 1999 to support the maintenance of civil law and order within Kosovo, so as to develop a climate of safety and security, which will enable the transfer of increased responsibility to the civil authorities. Ireland has participated in the KFOR since August 1999. The Irish contingent currently comprises an APC Mounted Infantry Group of some 215 personnel including...

Written Answers — Commemorative Events: Commemorative Events (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 136 and 140 together. A commemoration will again be held this Easter Sunday at the GPO to mark the 91st anniversary of the Easter Rising 1916. Following discussions at the All Party Oireachtas Committee it has been decided that the format of this years commemoration will be a military ceremony centred on the GPO with appropriate military honours rendered....

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The Defence Forces hold an extensive range of modern Nuclear, Biological or Chemical (NBC) equipment that meets their current requirements. This range includes approximately 9,500 NBC suits. The NBC suits are retained in stores throughout the Defence Forces. Should an operational scenario arise, the NBC suits would be distributed as required to all personnel involved. In addition, the...

Written Answers — : (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: A tender competition was held in 2006 for the disposal of four Dauphin and one Gazelle helicopters. Following on from the tender competition, two sales agreements were completed in the latter part of 2006. The Dauphins were sold to Rotor Leasing Incorporated in the USA. The Gazelle was sold to Astral Communications in England. The income received from the sale of the helicopters, together...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government, in July, 1998, approved a programme of evacuation and sale of six barracks considered surplus to military requirements. The barracks in question were located at Ballincollig, Fermoy, Castleblayney, Naas, Kildare and Islandbridge, Dublin. The sale of Fitzgerald Camp, Fermoy, Castleblayney Military Post, Devoy Barracks, Naas and Clancy Barracks,...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Strength: Defence Forces Strength (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: A detailed breakdown of the numbers serving in the Permanent Defence Force (Army, Naval Service and Air Corps) by rank and gender are in the form of the Tabular Statement below. The Tabular Statement also provides the comparable details for the Army Reserve and the Naval Service Reserve. The Government is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for men and women throughout the Permanent...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: 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 and I will continue the good work in that regard. With regard to major equipment purchases, this year will see the delivery of two more AW139 helicopters for the Air Corps, the initiation of the mid-life upgrade on the...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Communications: Defence Forces Communications (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The article to which the Deputy is referring is the report of an interview with the Defence Forces Chief of Staff, Lt General Jim Sreenan, which appeared in The Irish Times on 27 December, 2006. The interview was wide ranging and the Chief of Staff gave his views on a number of current matters of interest to the Defence Forces including the Defence Forces current overseas commitments and the...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Training: Defence Forces Training (7 Mar 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 — Defence Forces Regulations: Defence Forces Regulations (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The person referred to has been the subject of recent correspondence between his legal representatives and my Department. Defence Force Regulations provide that a man will automatically forfeit pay for every day during which he is either absent on desertion or absent without leave. This provision as regards forfeiture of pay is independent of any punishment that might be awarded from...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: My Department is engaged in an on-going capital and maintenance 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 construction of new buildings, the refurbishment of existing buildings and major civil engineering...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: A total of six utility AW 139 helicopters are being acquired from Agusta S.p.A. at a cost of €75m, inclusive of VAT. The six helicopters are being built at the Agusta facility near Milan, Italy. Two AW 139s were delivered in November 2006, two will be delivered in the first half of 2007 and the final two will be delivered in 2008. Payments for the helicopters are spread over a number of...

Written Answers — Ministerial Travel: Ministerial Travel (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The Ministerial Air Transport Service is provided by the Air Corps to facilitate members of the Government in fulfilling their official engagements at home and abroad. The Service is primarily provided by the Gulfstream IV and Learjet 45 aircraft, which were specifically acquired for that purpose. The Beech Super Kingair 200 turboprop aircraft, which is now used primarily in a training role,...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: My Department is engaged in an on-going building and maintenance programme designed to improve the training, operational and accommodation facilities available to both the Permanent Defence Forces and the Reserve. The programme focuses mainly on the construction of new buildings, the refurbishment of existing buildings and civil engineering work within the barracks. This includes on-going...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Ombudsman: Defence Forces Ombudsman (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces was established under the Ombudsman (Defence Forces) Act 2004. On the 19th 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. The function of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces is to act as the ultimate point of appeal for,...

Written Answers — Northern Ireland Issues: Northern Ireland Issues (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: Last October, the two Governments published the St Andrews Agreement. This Agreement is built on the twin pillars of power sharing and support for policing. It contains an explicit timetable leading to the restoration of the power sharing Executive on 26 March. Since St Andrews, we have seen welcome progress on policing. The landmark decision by Sinn Féin opens up the prospect for the...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Communications: Defence Forces Communications (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The question of public comment on official matters by any member of the Defence Forces is governed by Paragraph 27 of Defence Force Regulation A.7, which prohibits the airing of individual opinions on service matters, public business or politics. This prohibition is supplemented by a direction that comment, if any, touching on questions of a political nature — whether national or...