Results 11,541-11,560 of 12,637 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: In the period from 1997 to date, capital building projects undertaken in the Curragh Camp cost a total of approximately €78 million. A significant number of projects were funded from the barrack re-investment programme which commenced in 1999 to provide the Defence Forces with operational, living and recreational accommodation suitable to the needs of a modern military organisation. The...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme. : Decentralisation Programme. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: My Department's Dublin offices are located at Infirmary Road and Mobhi Road on the north side of Dublin and both are scheduled to decentralise to Newbridge, County Kildare. While the Office of Public Works has identified a suitable site in Newbridge, negotiations on the acquisition of the site have not yet been completed. For this reason, it is not possible to say precisely when the move will...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: As the Deputy is aware, the Government decided on 1 July 2003 that lands at Magee Barracks, Kildare, would be among the State lands released for inclusion in the Sustaining Progress affordable housing initiative. The question of the taking in charge by Kildare County Council of the former married quarters estates at St. Barbara's Park, Melitta Terrace and Magee Terrace, County Kildare will be...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: While there are no current plans for the provision of new RDF premises in the town in question, the matter is being kept under review.

Written Answers — Partnership for Peace. : Partnership for Peace. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Ireland's participation in Partnership for Peace, PfP, to date is set out in our five individual partnership programmes, copies of which have been lodged in the Oireachtas Library. Ireland's sixth individual partnership programme, covering the period 2006-07, is being completed in consultation with the Departments of Foreign Affairs, the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Justice...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Personnel, on being discharged from the Permanent Defence Force, are obliged to vacate married quarters within a short period of the dates of their discharge. The provision of housing is primarily a matter for the local authorities and married personnel have an equal claim on such housing as other members of the community in the same income category. Fifty-four of those overholding married...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Strength: Defence Forces Strength (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: 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. The strength of the Permanent Defence Force, comprising the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service, as of 30 September 2005, was as follows. Strength Army 8,623 Air Corps 852 Naval...

Written Answers — Security Escorts: Security Escorts (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: An annual contribution of €2.86 million has been paid by the banks to my Department in respect of the provision of cash escorts. That figure was set by the Department of Finance in the 1995 budget and has not been altered since. The contribution from the banks was designed to cover in part the total costs to the State of providing cash escorts. At that time, the contribution covered...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (3 Nov 2005)

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 sale of approximately 97 acres at Murphy Barracks, Ballincollig was completed in 2003 for a total of €42 million. The bulk of the...

Written Answers — Army Barracks: Army Barracks (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The refurbishment of residential accommodation is an integral part of my Department's ongoing building programme. Major contracts to improve the standard of accommodation have been placed over the past few years as part of an ongoing investment programme in the Defence Forces. For example, in the period from 2003 to date, major accommodation upgrades have taken place in McKee and Cathal...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Strength: Defence Forces Strength (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: 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. The White Paper provides an overall strength figure of 10,500 for the Permanent Defence Force, all ranks. That figure comprehends provision for the allocation of up to 850 members of the...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Equipment: Defence Forces Equipment (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 300 and 301 together. The Garda Síochána has primary responsibility for law and order, including the protection of the internal security of the State. It continuously monitors the potential threats to the State arising from international terrorism in co-operation with the Defence Forces. The Defence Forces make contingency plans for a range of scenarios...

Written Answers — Search and Rescue Service: Search and Rescue Service (3 Nov 2005)

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. The Air Corps had been providing search-and-rescue, SAR, services in the north west but withdrew in October 2004 following a hand-over of that role to CHCI, a private operator, which also provides the service at the country's other SAR bases at...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Training: Defence Forces Training (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: To reach the requisite level of interoperability, and taking account of the short timeframes envisaged for the deployment of the EU's rapid reaction elements, it would seem to me that the various forces and elements comprising a battle group would need to be familiar with the equipment, standard operating procedures, organisation and operations of the group as a whole. However, that does not...

Overseas Missions. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Eight of the nine bodies of those killed were recovered over the course of the two days following the ambush on 9 and 10 November 1960. The ninth body was not located at the time. In the autumn of 1962, the Defence Forces learned that the location of the ninth body was known. A team of officers was sent to meet the Niemba civil administration. After lengthy discussions, the team was brought...

Overseas Missions. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I will consider the Deputy's proposal.

National Emergency Plan. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 and 60 together. The Government task force on emergency planning last met on Tuesday, 20 September 2005. The next meeting of the task force is scheduled to take place on 9 November. The task force has met on 41 occasions to date. Arrangements to deal with any possible flu pandemic fall into two main categories. My colleague the Tánaiste and Minister for...

National Emergency Plan. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I assure the Deputy there is a specific public health emergency plan, which has been discussed at the emergency planning task force. It was produced in September 2004 and some changes were recommended last July following further advice and research conducted by the World Health Organisation. Several people were assigned to incorporating those changes in the plan and I expect them to be...

EU Battle Groups. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 23, 30, 56 and 65 together. The rapid response elements concept, commonly referred to as battle groups, originated at the European Council in Helsinki in 1999. Ireland supports the development of the EU's rapid response capability in support of UN authorised missions and is positively disposed towards participation in the rapid response elements in this...

EU Battle Groups. (3 Nov 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I will explain the current position, although I expected the process to be further advanced at this stage. The interdepartmental group did not wish to finalise its report, although it had much work done, until it received formal written legal advice from the Attorney General. It was received a fortnight ago, although I expected to receive it sooner. Unfortunately, a number of aspects of the...