Results 11,301-11,320 of 12,596 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Written Answers — Naval Service Missions: Naval Service Missions (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Naval Service assets are not offered as part of Ireland's commitment under the United Nations standby arrangements system, nor are they offered as part of our headline goal commitments. There are no plans for the involvement of Naval Service assets in overseas missions, although individual members of the Naval Service may be deployed on overseas peace support operations, as they have been in...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (23 Feb 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 Islandbridge, Dublin. The value of sales and disposals completed to date in respect of the six barracks the subject of the July 1998 Government decision,...

Overseas Missions. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. The ambition of the European Union to be able to respond rapidly to emerging crises has been, and continues to be, a key objective of the development of the European Security and Defence Policy, ESDP. The tasks to be carried out under ESDP, the so-called Petersberg Tasks, are defined in the Amsterdam treaty as "humanitarian and rescue tasks,...

Overseas Missions. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Deputy Timmins has certainly raised a number of important questions. First, the funding question has arisen before. In the short term at least, I do not anticipate any increase in funding. We will stay within our limit of 850 troops and will operate from that. In other words, our total overseas commitment will not exceed our present limit of 850 troops. Second, we will also insist on the...

Overseas Missions. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: My answer was a bit long. I was trying to reply to all the different issues raised by Deputy Timmins. We hope to have the new legislation published and passed through the Houses of the Oireachtas before the summer recess. That is our plan. The new legislation will enable the Irish Government, without having a UN sanction, to send people abroad for training. It is also intended to enable the...

Overseas Missions. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Following a number of questions in the Dáil on this matter, including some from Deputy Finian McGrath, I undertook to have the military archive examined in relation to the Niemba ambush and to revert with the findings. The question arising was whether Trooper Browne was killed at the Niemba ambush or survived for a few days and was killed near a village where he was foraging for food. A...

Overseas Missions. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The book to which Deputy Finian McGrath refers draws considerably on the unit history, which contains a number of differing accounts and makes no attempt to reconcile them. When this matter was raised in the House by the Deputy and others, I asked the Army, which is the first port of call in such a situation, to examine its archives and investigate the matter generally. The Army has done so...

Overseas Missions. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Yes.

Defence Forces Recruitment. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The levels of female membership of units of the Permanent Defence Force, as advised by the military authorities are provided in the form of the following tabular statement. There are currently 528 female personnel serving in the Permanent Defence Force. The Government is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for men and women in the Defence Forces, namely, the Army, Air Corps, Naval...

Order of Business. (23 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The Opposition will not have that problem for a long time.

Written Answers — Defence Forces Strength: Defence Forces Strength (22 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The statistical information in regard to the number of personnel, male and female, who have joined the Permanent Defence Force in each of the past five years, is set out in the following table. Year M F Total 2001 853 101 954 2002 587 51 638 2003 487 59 546 2004 604 58 662 2005 427 47 474 It is my intention to maintain the established Government policy of...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Strength: Defence Forces Strength (22 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The military authorities advise that the number of personnel who left the Defence Forces between 2001 and 2005 is as follows: Year Female Male Total 2001 59 924 983 2002 34 715 749 2003 44 555 599 2004 23 533 556 2005 35 502 537 Total 195 3,229 3,424 These figures include deceased personnel but do not include personnel who were discharged administratively...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Recruitment: Defence Forces Recruitment (22 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: Entry to the Permanent Defence Force is either through the cadetship competition, apprenticeship competition, general service enlistment or direct entry competitions, which are held to fill vacancies in specialist appointments. My Department is not specifically targeting the recruitment of ethnic minorities for the Defence Forces at this time. My emphasis at present is on ensuring that there...

Leaders' Questions. (22 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: It was Giant Haystacks.

Written Answers — Defence Forces Reserve: Defence Forces Reserve (21 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The procedure for Reserve Defence Force, RDF, officers applying for appointments is outlined in administrative instruction R5/R6, RDF Officers, NCO's and Privates Assignment Procedures. The military authorities have informed me that all RDF officers were made aware of the assignment procedure and that each officer was responsible for deciding which appointment, if any, he or she would apply...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Reserve: Defence Forces Reserve (21 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The military authorities have informed me that 712 Reserve Defence Force officers have been gazetted into appointments. This reflects the outcome of the assignment process and also includes RDF officers who were subsequently commissioned in November 2005. The gazette was published on 9 February 2006.

Written Answers — Public Procurement Policy: Public Procurement Policy (21 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: As I indicated in my reply to a similar question on 25 January, the framework for the production of annual corporate procurement plans was developed by the national public procurement policy unit in the Department of Finance during 2005. This plan applies to major infrastructural and network projects valued at €30 million or over. The White Paper on Defence that was published in 2000 set...

Written Answers — Departmental Contracts: Departmental Contracts (21 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: On 20 October last the Minister for Finance in an address to Dublin Chamber of Commerce announced a new formalised review and audit system for large infrastructure projects with a value of over €30 million. My Department is not involved in contracts of that nature. My Department would rarely be involved in projects with a value of over €30 million. These would normally be concerned with...

Written Answers — Airport Safety Zones: Airport Safety Zones (21 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: At paragraph 4.1.2 the Snow report states that in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Spain and France development can be prohibited close to runways on environmental, that is, noise grounds only and that as such public safety zones do not exist and limitations relate to the ICAO recommended standards for obstacle limitations as set out in Annex 14. In the case of Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel,...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (21 Feb 2006)

Willie O'Dea: The Government decision on decentralisation, announced by the Minister for Finance in his budget statement on 3 December 2003, provides for the transfer of all of my Department's Dublin based Civil Service staff to Newbridge, County Kildare. The number of staff to be relocated to Newbridge is 200. The Government decision also provides for the transfer of 300 Defence Forces headquarters staff...