Results 10,921-10,940 of 12,596 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Defence Forces Awards. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Deputy Ó Snodaigh makes a very valid point as regards the time. The four-year period should not include the time during which an inquiry is taking place. I shall certainly examine that. It is even more relevant as regards the other type of medal, for gallantry, because there is only a two-year timespan there. As the Deputy has rightly said, these inquiries can take a long time. That is a...

Defence Forces Awards. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: As regards Deputy Timmins's first question, I understand that all the civil matters have not been settled, awards of damages etc. As regards the search and rescue service, we have discussed this matter in the House previously. The reason the search and rescue service was replaced in the only place where it remained, the north west, was because it could not guarantee a 24-hour service. My...

Defence Forces Awards. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: In any legislation with a time limit, the reason given for it will be to bring finality to a situation. In cases where people have died, the Deputy may well have a point. I will give some thought to it.

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 10, 11, 21, 25, 33, 35, 41, 49, 54, 59, 60, 66 and 70 together. Discussions with like-minded states have begun regarding battle groups. A delegation consisting of representatives from the Department of Defence, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Defence Forces met our Swedish counterparts in Stockholm on 9 and 10 March to discuss possible...

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: No.

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I am caught between several stools. I will do my best to resolve these fundamental differences——

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: ——between different components of a potential future government.

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: There is no need to be offensive. The Deputy should keep it at a reasonable level.

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I do not agree with Deputy Timmins's final point. We will have to agree to disagree. With regard to his technical questions on training, the troops will not be trained here. If we join the Nordic battle group, we will not be training in the UK. The training usually takes place in the framework state, which for the Nordic battle group is Sweden. It is 99.9% probable that the training will take...

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: All this is germane to a Bill we will debate next week and the week after. With regard to what Deputy Gormley said, I do not have any say over the time allocated for the taking of this Bill. I am simply told the Bill will be debated in the Seanad and in the Dáil at a certain time. If Deputy Gormley is on this side of the House after the next election, he will find that is the position. The...

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I did.

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I asked that it be dealt with before to the recess but I did not allocate the specific time for taking it.

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I asked that the Bill be dealt with before to the recess because discussions are taking place with the Swedes and the other possible participants in the Nordic battle group and time is of the essence. The fact it must be passed before the recess means we could spend the next two weeks debating it, and I do not decide on that.

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I will answer the questions the Deputy asked me. If he is right in saying we have no authority to send out forces which are only authorised by the United Nations, a point on which I do not agree with him, he would still be wrong in his statement that there is nobody abroad serving legally because the force in Liberia, which is our largest force, was established by the United Nations.

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: With regard to the other matters concerning training and whether there will be training and exercises, that will all be dealt with on Second and Committee Stages of the legislation. The Deputy's point about a force being authorised rather than established is not relevant to battle groups because our contribution to a battle group will take place only after the legislation has been passed, and...

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I did not hear the Deputy.

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: We are now debating sections of the Bill.

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I assure the Deputy we will have ample time to debate all these matters next week and the week after.

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: On the question of the deadline of 7 July, we are literally the last into the field in terms of a contribution to a battle group, about which I have taken a certain amount of criticism.

Overseas Missions. (22 Jun 2006)

Willie O'Dea: It is not our fault.