Results 10,581-10,600 of 12,637 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Written Answers — Health and Safety Regulations: Health and Safety Regulations (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Surveys were conducted by the Defence Forces in the Balkans in 2001. These surveys demonstrated that there was no increase in the background radiation levels in the work environment of the Defence Forces in the Balkans. A policy of conducting biochemical, haematological and urinalysis tests as part of the in-theatre pre-repatriation medical examination of troops serving in the Balkans and...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Ombudsman: Defence Forces Ombudsman (16 Nov 2006)

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 — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The overall objective of the White Paper is to ensure that the country has the Defence Forces it needs to meet the roles laid down by Government and that the Defence Forces continues to be an organisation in which people are proud to serve. To achieve this the White Paper set out the following broad goals:- to provide a light infantry based force with an appropriate level of all-arms...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Procurement: Defence Forces Procurement (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The position is that all food supplies for the Defence Forces are procured centrally by the Food Procurement Section of the Defence Forces, who place contracts with suppliers in ten separate food categories e.g. Dairy Produce, Poultry Produce, Pack Rations. Tender competitions are run for all such contracts in accordance with National and EU regulations. Contractors submit tenders to supply...

Written Answers — Employment Equality: Employment Equality (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: As the Deputy's question notes, a number of statements were made in the course of a recent hearing in the High Court of a personal injuries claim against the State for damages, arising from alleged sexual assaults allegedly committed by a former NCO against the Plaintiff in those particular proceedings. The alleged assaults were claimed to have taken place in a time frame spanning the period...

Written Answers — Army Security Escorts: Army Security Escorts (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: As the Deputy may be aware, I had a number of discussions with the Irish Bankers Federation (IBF) in relation to this matter last year, with a view to increasing the level of contribution by the Banks in respect of the costs incurred by the Department in the provision of Cash Escorts. Following detailed and intensive discussions between officials of the IBF, the member Banks and the...

Written Answers — Overseas Missions: Overseas Missions (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 59 and 71 together. Ireland does not contribute to the NATO Response Force and, as such, will not be participating in the related field exercises. Ireland does not participate in field exercises with NATO forces. However, as part of our participation in Partnership for Peace, on occasion, Ireland participates along with other partners in NATO organised...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: 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, Castleblayney, Naas, Kildare, and Clancy Barracks, Dublin. The sale of 97 acres approximately at Murphy Barracks, Ballincollig was completed in 2003 for a total of €42 million. The bulk of...

Written Answers — Army Dismissal Case: Army Dismissal Case (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The book to which the Deputy refers was launched by the author last May. My Department has examined the contents of the publication. The book does not present any new material of significance to the history of the case. The basic premise of the book was previously presented in a newspaper article written in summer 2002 by the author of the book. The individual concerned was retired by the...

Written Answers — Army Bomb Disposal Unit: Army Bomb Disposal Unit (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The Defence Forces nationally are divided into four main Brigades, namely 1 Southern Brigade, 2 Eastern Brigade, the 4 Western Brigade and the Defence Forces Training Centre. This does not equate to the provincial divisions within the country. The following is a list of the callouts in the various Brigades in 2005 and 2006 to date. Number of Callouts 2005 Number of Hoax Calls 2005 1...

Written Answers — Drug Testing: Drug Testing (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Drug abuse has long been recognised as a serious and escalating problem in our society and while there have been relatively few instances of drug related problems within the Defence Forces, it is recognised that the Defence Forces, as a component of the wider community, mirror the community at large. The implications of drug abuse in an organisation where personnel have access to firearms...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Budget: Defence Forces Budget (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Expenditure under the Defence and Army Pensions Votes has increased from €646 million in 1997 to an estimated outturn of €958 million in 2006. This represents an increase in defence spending of some 48% over that period. The level of expenditure on defence in any particular country is influenced by a variety of factors, including that country's political and security environment, its...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (16 Nov 2006)

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. 2007 will see the delivery of two more AW139 helicopters for the Air Corps and 15 Mowag armoured personnel carriers for the Army. It is not possible, at this stage, to...

Written Answers — Overseas Missions: Overseas Missions (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) was established on 19 September, 2003, under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1509. The resolution authorised the deployment, under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, for a period of twelve months, of up to 15,000 military personnel, to include up to 250 military observers, 875 civilian police officers and a civilian component. UNMIL has a...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Training: Defence Forces Training (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The Government Task Force on Emergency Planning continues to meet on a regular basis. The next meeting will be the 50th Task Force meeting since it was established in 2001. The Task Force promotes coordination of emergency planning across departments. As chairman of the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning, I have continually stressed the importance that I attach to departments and key...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Reserve: Defence Forces Reserve (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The White Paper on Defence outlines the blue print for a new Reserve Defence Force. The new Reserve will have a clearly defined role, an enhanced relationship with the PDF, better equipment and training and opportunities to serve on overseas peace support missions. The Reserve Defence Force Review Implementation Plan, which was formally launched in July 2004, is progressing on schedule and...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Recruitment: Defence Forces Recruitment (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The Government is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for men and women throughout the Defence Forces, in the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service and including the Reserve Defence Force, and to the full participation by women in all aspects of Defence Forces activities. In effect this means that women are eligible on the same basis as men for participation in operational and ceremonial...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The statutory processes involved in the appointment of chairs and members of non-Departmental public bodies under the remit of my Department and their legislative origin are as follows: Civil Defence Board. The members of the Civil Defence Board were appointed with effect from 5 June 2005. Under Section 7 of the Civil Defence Act 2002, the terms of office of a member of the Board shall not...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The older obsolete aircraft, six Marchetti aircraft, four Dauphin helicopters and one Gazelle helicopter have been disposed of or are in the process of being disposed of by tender competitions. The obsolete aircraft have been replaced by the arrival of eight new Pilatus aircraft and two EC 135 helicopters and the planned arrival of two AW 139 helicopters in November 2006 and two in 2007.

Written Answers — Defence Forces Strength: Defence Forces Strength (16 Nov 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to answer Questions Nos. 228 and 230 together. The strength of the Permanent Defence Force on 31 October 2006, the latest date for which detailed figures are available, as advised by the military authorities was 10,357. A detailed breakdown of the numbers in the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps by rank and gender are set out in the following Tabular Statement. The White Paper on...