Results 11,681-11,700 of 12,596 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Peacekeeping Missions. (29 Sep 2005)

Willie O'Dea: That is an unworthy aspersion. I know the Deputy, who is a decent man and a native of Limerick, will feel obliged to withdraw it.

Peacekeeping Missions. (29 Sep 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The Deputy implied that I feigned illness. I do not feign illness. I was visiting a barracks in Athlone. I did not feel very well. The visit went on longer than I had anticipated and there was not sufficient time to travel to Dublin to keep the appointment with General Meyers which I regretted and for which I apologised. That is the truth and I hope the Deputy accepts that. There was no...

Peacekeeping Missions. (29 Sep 2005)

Willie O'Dea: No. I take no instructions of that nature from anybody. I am who I am. I was genuinely ill on that day and genuinely sorry I could not meet General Meyers. There was no insult intended to General Meyers. I made that clear to his staff and to the American Embassy. I compliment Deputy Gormley on his wonderfully imaginative description of us getting rid of neutrality and being "hand in glove...

Peacekeeping Missions. (29 Sep 2005)

Willie O'Dea: That is a fact.

Peacekeeping Missions. (29 Sep 2005)

Willie O'Dea: One government in which, as I understand it, the Deputy's party is sharing power was quite ready to provide this facility.

Peacekeeping Missions. (29 Sep 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I hope the Deputy will correct the record.

Peacekeeping Missions. (29 Sep 2005)

Willie O'Dea: No. We contacted the embassy.

Peacekeeping Missions. (29 Sep 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The Deputy did not say the High Court also concluded that this in no way infringed our military neutrality.

Defence Forces Recruitment. (29 Sep 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 11 and 32 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. In effect that means that women are eligible on the same basis as men for...

Defence Forces Recruitment. (29 Sep 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Yes.

Defence Forces Recruitment. (29 Sep 2005)

Willie O'Dea: To be honest, I do not know the answer to Deputy Timmins's question. I do not know why women do not see it as the job for them. Traditionally, that has been the case, and fortunately we are trying to change that. I take the Deputy's point about height. As he knows, the Garda Síochána has got rid of the height requirement and instead introduced one for physical fitness. To the best of my...

Defence Forces Recruitment. (29 Sep 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Regarding Deputy Sherlock's question, I am not being politically correct. Put bluntly, half the population are women, but only 5% of those in the Army or the Naval Service, and fewer than 5% of those in the Air Corps are. Women should be allowed to play their part.

Written Answers — Disability Benefit: Disability Benefit (28 Sep 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The question relates to an application for a refund of income tax from an employee of my Department in respect of absences on sick leave during 2005. This employee received disability benefit for these absences and was also fully covered under the Department's sick pay schemes. Under the Income Tax Acts the first 36 days of disability benefit paid in the tax year is exempt from tax. Employees...

Written Answers — Departmental Contracts: Departmental Contracts (28 Sep 2005)

Willie O'Dea: As the reply is in the form of a tabular statement, the information requested has been forwarded to the Deputy. The statement covers contracts over €100,000 in value in the period January 2001 to date. Contracts of a security nature are not included on the statement. Every effort has been made to endure the accuracy of the information given the large amount of work involved in formulating...

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (28 Sep 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The question does not arise, at present, in so far as my Department is concerned.

Written Answers — Defence Forces Investigations: Defence Forces Investigations (28 Sep 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Responsibility for the approval of overflights and landings by foreign military aircraft lies with my colleague the Minister for Foreign Affairs. For civil aircraft the responsibility lies with my colleague the Minister for Transport. In the case of US military and/or chartered civilian aircraft transporting military cargo, the US Embassy submits applications to the Department of Foreign...

Written Answers — Ministerial Travel: Ministerial Travel (28 Sep 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The information requested with regard to journeys made by Ministers and Ministers of State in Air Corps aircraft in 2004 and 2005 has been fowarded to the Deputy. The ministerial air transport service, provided by the Air Corps to facilitate members of the Government in fulfilling their official engagements at home and abroad, is primarily provided by the Gulfstream IV and Learjet 45...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Property: Defence Forces Property (28 Sep 2005)

Willie O'Dea: There are no current plans for refurbishment of the RDF premises at Fair Street, Mallow, County Cork. The matter, however, is being kept under review.

Written Answers — Defence Forces Contracts: Defence Forces Contracts (28 Sep 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1318 and 1319 together. The unsatisfactory age and fitness profile of the Permanent Defence Force was commented upon by the Gleeson commission in its report in 1990. The matter had also been of serious concern to the military authorities for a number of years. The age profile was also the subject of severe criticism by PriceWaterhouse Consultants, which had...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Disciplinary Action: Defence Forces Disciplinary Action (28 Sep 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The pay of the person in question has been withheld with effect from 31 August 2005 following notification by the relevant military authorities that since 26 August 2005 his absence from his unit has been unauthorised. The military authorities advise that he is currently deemed to be absent without official leave. As the case in question is the subject of legal correspondence it would be...