Results 11,281-11,300 of 12,596 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 44 together. The Government decision on decentralisation announced by the Minister for Finance in his Budget Statement on 3 December 2003 provides for the transfer of my Department's Dublin-based Civil Service staff to Newbridge, County Kildare. The number of staff to be relocated to Newbridge is 200. While the Office of Public Works has identified a...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Strength: Defence Forces Strength (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 24, 58, 169, 170 and 173 together. The White Paper on Defence of February 2000 sets out a figure of 10,500 personnel for the Permanent Defence Force, comprising 930 for the Air Corps, 1,144 for the Naval Service and 8,426 for the Army. I intend to maintain the established Government policy of ongoing recruitment to the Defence Forces. Recruitment into the...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: In December 2005, a contract was signed with Mowag GmbH of Switzerland for the supply of 15 additional Piranha armoured vehicles to the Defence Forces. The company has already provided 65 Piranha APCs to the Defence Forces in recent years. Under the contract, Mowag GmbH will supply 15 vehicles, nine of which will be fitted with a Kongsberg remote weapon station with a 12.7 mm machine gun, and...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Strength: Defence Forces Strength (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The question of retention of personnel in the Naval Service was tackled through reforms introduced through the Defence White Paper of February 2000. Those reforms were the result of a series of earlier studies between 1990 and 1999. The reforms implemented were part of a five-year plan that has just been completed. The plan included the following: restructuring of the Naval Service...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Investigations: Defence Forces Investigations (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I understand that the military police investigation into this matter will be completed and submitted to the appropriate military authorities within the next few days. Pending completion of, and due consideration being given to the military police report, I do not consider it appropriate to comment any further on the matter.

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The Defence Forces have available to them equipment for monitoring and protecting their members in dealing with nuclear, biological or chemical, NBC, threats identified from time to time. They hold an extensive range of modern NBC equipment that meets their current requirements. That range includes approximately 9,500 NBC suits, of which 800 were delivered in January 2006.

Written Answers — Commemorative Events: Commemorative Events (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I understand that the question of an appropriate commemoration, in July next, of the Battle of the Somme is under consideration at official level in the Department of the Taoiseach.

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The military authorities advise that the military police investigation is still ongoing into the alleged larceny of diesel oil from military vehicles in Donegal. While it would be inappropriate to comment on the details of the investigation, it can be confirmed that a member of the Defence Forces has been interviewed in the course of the investigation. As the investigation is continuing and...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The office of emergency planning was established in my Department to promote the co-ordination of emergency planning functions across all Departments and other key public authorities and to oversee the emergency planning process in general. In pursuing these objectives, I chair the Government task force on emergency planning, which comprises those Ministers as well as, or instead of, those...

Written Answers — Common Foreign and Defence Policy: Common Foreign and Defence Policy (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I will attend the meeting of the European Defence Agency steering board in defence ministers' formation in Innsbruck, Austria on 7 March 2006. While the formal agenda for this meeting has not yet issued, among the issues expected to be discussed are: the setting up of the 2006 European Defence Agency's college of auditors to audit the agency's 2005 accounts; discussion of the chief...

Written Answers — Overseas Missions: Overseas Missions (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The only detailed records retained by the Defence Forces on the employment of civilian personnel abroad refer to the civilian doctors supplied by Medicare Solutions Limited for service with the Irish UNMIL contingent in Liberia. Medicare Solutions Limited was the medical agency contracted by the Department of Defence for this purpose. The contract was initially for a period of three months...

Written Answers — Avian Flu: Avian Flu (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: In the case of the spread of the existing avian flu virus to this country, my colleague the Minister for Agriculture and Food who has lead responsibility in this area, continues to reassess the level of risk and to update the contingency arrangements which are in place. Her Department will continue to keep the level of risk under assessment taking account of the most up to date veterinary...

Written Answers — United Nations Reform: United Nations Reform (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The context of my remarks related to the need for the UN to be able to respond rapidly to emerging crises, particularly in the context of the development of battle groups. Significant effort is being invested by EU member states to make available two battle groups on standby each semester to undertake rapid response operations in accordance with the Petersberg Tasks. The UN, which is strongly...

Written Answers — Hearing Impairment Claims: Hearing Impairment Claims (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I wrote to the Law Society of Ireland at the time of the initial queries regarding solicitors' charges in Army hearing loss litigation. In my letter, I asked the Law Society what plans it had to deal with any complaints regarding charging by solicitors in these cases. The Law Society clarified that it was the statutory body responsible for dealing with such complaints and that it had...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Reserve: Defence Forces Reserve (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: In July 2004 the Reserve Defence Force implementation plan was officially launched. This plan, which will be implemented over the period to end 2009, sets out an ambitious programme of reform and modernisation for the Reserve that will enhance both Reserve Defence Force capabilities and Permanent Defence Force-Reserve Defence Force interoperability. The new reserve organisational structures...

Written Answers — Overseas Missions: Overseas Missions (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 62 and 66 together. Ireland has participated in UNMIL since December 2003 following a decision of the Government on 24 June 2003, and the subsequent approval by Dáil Éireann of the necessary enabling motion. Since then, the UN Security Council has authorised the continuation of UNMIL for successive periods and the Government has approved continued Irish...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Recruitment: Defence Forces Recruitment (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 68 together. The Government is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for men and women in the Defence Forces — Army, Air Corps, Naval Service — including the Reserve Defence Force and to the full participation by women in all aspects of Defence Forces activities. This means women are eligible on the same basis as men for participation in...

Written Answers — EU Battle Groups: EU Battle Groups (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Most member states of the EU are also members of NATO and only have one set of forces at their disposal, which they can make available both to the EU and EU battle groups and to NATO and the NATO response force. It is reasonable and appropriate for states that are members of both organisations to ensure similar standards, procedures, training regimes, command and control arrangements etc....

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Fort Camden, Crosshaven, comprising 41 acres approximately, has been disposed of by my Department to Cork County Council for amenity purposes. The legal formalities attendant on the transfer of the property are nearing completion. The former coastguard station, Crosshaven, is vested in the Minister for Finance. The disposal of that property, which comprises 3.5 acres approximately and...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Training: Defence Forces Training (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 167 and 174 together. Significant investment has been made in Defence Forces equipment in recent years to provide them with the most modern equipment to undertake the tasks assigned to them by Government. The upgrading of their equipment, which is continuing, is designed to ensure that the Defence Forces have the necessary equipment to undertake specific...