Results 10,261-10,280 of 12,596 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Written Answers — Search and Rescue Service: Search and Rescue Service (7 Mar 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. 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 the civil authorities including in relation to Search and Rescue. In this regard, the Naval...

Written Answers — Partnership for Peace: Partnership for Peace (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: Ireland's participation in Partnership for Peace (PFP) to date is set out in our seven Individual Partnership Programmes (IPP), copies of which have been lodged in the Dáil Library. Ireland's seventh IPP, covering the period 2007-2008, was completed last year in consultation with the Department's of Foreign Affairs, Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Justice Equality and Law Reform,...

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

Willie O'Dea: In accordance with the provisions of the White Paper on Defence, the Government is committed to maintaining Ireland's contribution to international peace support operations through the deployment of Defence Forces personnel on UN mandated peace support operations. Ireland has offered, through the UN Standby Arrangements System (UNSAS), to provide up to 850 military personnel, configured as a...

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

Willie O'Dea: The Government decided on 1 July 2003 that lands at Gormanstown, Co. Meath would be among the State lands released for inclusion in the Sustaining Progress Affordable Housing Initiative. How land at this location might play a role in the delivery of affordable housing units is a matter in the first instance for the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which is the...

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

Willie O'Dea: As you know, I am keen to increase the number of women applying to join our Defence Forces. To facilitate this I initiated research into recruitment and retention of women in the Defence Forces. To this end, following a tendering process, TNS MRBI, an independent market research company was awarded the contract to undertake research into the issue of recruitment and retention of women in the...

Written Answers — Garda Investigations: Garda Investigations (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: Following my receipt of the report of Mr. Sean Hurley into the circumstances surrounding the death of Private Kevin Barrett, I contacted the Garda Commissioner and asked him to provide me with his early views in relation to any possible assistance that the Garda Síochána might be in a position to provide. A Garda officer was assigned to the case to examine my Department's and the Defence...

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

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 301 and 302 together. The Government, on 15 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, Naas, Castleblayney, Kildare, and Islandbridge, Dublin. The sale of 97 acres approximately at Murphy Barracks, Ballincollig was...

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

Willie O'Dea: The Naval Service provides the maritime element of the Defence Forces and has a general responsibility to meet contingent and actual maritime defence requirements. The Naval Service operates eight general purpose patrol ships. All eight ships are involved in coastal and offshore patrolling and surveillance for the State in that part of the seas where State jurisdiction applies such as...

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 throughout all facets of the Defence Forces and I will continue the good work in that regard. From the Army's perspective the major investment has been in the contracts for Mowag Armoured Personnel Carriers with the...

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 and significant investment has taken place in recent years in this regard. The unprecedented level of expenditure on equipment for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service was made possible by the Government's decision that pay savings arising from the reorganization of the Defence...

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

Willie O'Dea: In the latter part of 2006, 8000 units of body armour for the individual soldier on operational duties were delivered. The new body armour provides significantly greater protection, comfort and coverage than the old model as well as a doubling of the range of sizes available. The total value of the contract was in the region of €8m. The body armour is currently in stores in the Curragh Camp...

Fiscal Policy. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I have no plans to visit Irish troops serving overseas on St. Patrick's Day. However, the general officers commanding the home brigades for our missions in Liberia, Lebanon and Kosovo, the main missions in which we have troops deployed, will visit the troops in these missions on St. Patrick's Day, as is the norm and tradition. As Deputies will be aware, I recently returned from visiting...

Fiscal Policy. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The practice I have adopted is that the general officers visit the troops serving in the various missions during St. Patrick's week. So as not to coincide, I try to visit one of the missions as near as possible to that week. Last year we travelled to Liberia and this year to Lebanon. The troops seem to appreciate us doing it this way. As far as the St. Patrick's Day celebrations are...

Fiscal Policy. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I will visit troops at Sarsfield Barracks in Limerick and may be able to arrange visits beyond this, if time allows.

Overseas Missions. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I visited Lebanon during the period 27 February to 1 March. During the visit I met the Lebanese Minister for Defence, Elias Murr. Among the issues we discussed was the killing of Privates Thomas Barrett and Derek Smallhorne while serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, in 1980 and the efforts to bring the alleged perpetrator of this crime to justice. The measures...

Overseas Missions. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: Regarding the attitude of the Lebanese authorities, I raised the matter with the relevant Minister in Lebanon, namely, the Minister for Defence who is also the Deputy Prime Minister. I put it to him that there was a possibility that the individual concerned may be denaturalised by the US authorities which must go to court to do so. If he were denaturalised, he would no longer retain his US...

Overseas Missions. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: I recognise that 27 years is a very long time but we should bear some issues in mind. This gentleman has not been openly identified for the past 27 years, as the identification was more recent. We have researched every aspect of our law and held the most extensive discussions to see if we could do anything as a country to seek his extradition and put him on trial here. We have been advised...

Defence Forces Equipment. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: As Minister for Defence, I have no responsibility for the transport of military material by plane, other than that transported by or on behalf of the Defence Forces. Weapons and ammunition for the Defence Forces, which may be intended for transportation by plane, are stored in dedicated armouries at Casement Aerodrome. These are separate to stores used for other materials and are secured by...

Defence Forces Equipment. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The answer to the Deputy's first question is "no". Our only responsibility relates to Army material transported by the Army or on behalf of the Army by civil aircraft. That is where our responsibility ends. The responsibility for the matters referred to by the Deputy lies with the Department of Transport. However, we have a responsibility in the event of an emergency. As Minister for...

Defence Forces Equipment. (7 Mar 2007)

Willie O'Dea: The emergency planning task force, of which I am chairman, is never completely happy with contingency arrangements. It is for this reason that exercises are conducted and the task force meets regularly. In light of experience and new methods of terrorism, we are improving plans consistently. A number of simulated exercises at Dublin Airport and Shannon Airport were audited by the relevant...