Results 12,161-12,180 of 12,596 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Search and Rescue Service. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: This happened before I came to the Department but I understand it was due to bad industrial relations. There was disagreement between management and staff, as I understand it, and this is the way that staff choose to express their disagreement.

Search and Rescue Service. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: It arose from a dispute between management and staff. There was an unusually high incidence of sick leave. Perhaps it was coincidental that those people all happened to be sick at the same time.

Search and Rescue Service. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: It may have been a coincidence.

Overseas Missions. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 129 together. As I previously explained to the House, the Chief of Staff received a submission from a retired Army officer, who served at Jadotville, seeking a review of the events of September 1961. The Chief of Staff arranged for the submission to be examined by a board of officers and a report was subsequently prepared and forwarded to me late last...

Overseas Missions. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I went through the report in some detail but did not get any sense from it that there was a concerted effort at the time not to commemorate or recognise the events at Jadotville. I could not find any criticism of the behaviour of the men in question. However, there are no formal records to indicate that this was the case or, in other words, that they should have been free of criticism and...

Bullying in the Workplace. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 98, 102, 103, 1294 and 1296 together. In March 2002, Dr. Eileen Doyle and the external advisory committee presented their report, The Challenge of a Workplace, commonly referred to as the Doyle report, to my predecessor. The contents and recommendations of the Doyle report were accepted in full. Action to implement the recommendations of the report has been...

Bullying in the Workplace. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I agree with Deputy Gormley that we are dealing with a particular environment and context. All relationships within the military environment are predicated on the fundamental principle that all lawful orders must be obeyed. We have tried to ensure that superiors in their treatment of subordinates will adopt such methods as will ensure respect for authority while at the same time engendering...

Bullying in the Workplace. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Off the top of my head, I do not know how many but I will obtain that information and will communicate it to Deputy Gormley. As regards Deputy Sherlock's point about information concerning some complaint that has been made by a member of the military, all I can say is that the matter is being investigated by the military. I do not interfere in internal military investigations of complaints....

Ceisteanna — Questions. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Before I take the first question, I wish to clarify that on the last day Defence questions were taken in the Dáil, I referred to a certain incident involving damage to property in Limerick and stated that the chief suspect was a member of the Green Party. I have checked that matter and find there is no connection between that person and the Green Party. I apologise for any embarrassment caused.

Overseas Missions. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 89, 91 and 93 together. I refer Deputies to my reply to the House on this subject on 17 November 2004. The position remains as I outlined at that time. The background to the rapid response elements concept, commonly referred to as battle groups, is that at the European Council in Helsinki in 1999, member states set themselves a headline goal that "by the year...

Overseas Missions. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: As I informed the House previously and as I repeated today, the Cabinet decided on 16 November that at the meeting in Brussels, I should advise my EU counterparts of Ireland's preparedness to enter into consultations with our EU partners with a view to potential participation in rapid response elements. That was the decision taken. There was no decision taken to join the rapid response...

Overseas Missions. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I agree with the Deputy's sentiments regarding the United Nations. With regard to the legal basis of the triple lock, my advice from the Attorney General is that this is contained in the corpus of defence legislation, namely, the relevant Defence Acts. I do not have the detailed legal advice to hand but I undertake to the Deputy to obtain it and forward it to him. As the campaign on the draft...

Overseas Missions. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: There is no doubt the advice I have received will be debated in various fora throughout the country. A Cabinet sub-committee on European affairs is examining the terms of the draft EU constitution. The advice we have is that the triple lock is perfectly consistent with signing up to the section of the draft EU constitution containing the concept of common or mutual defence. Deputy Gormley...

Overseas Missions. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I am committed to the triple lock as it stands. On the proposals I will bring to Cabinet, as I said, we have set up a group which is divided into three subgroups to consider all the issues on participation in rapid reaction units. I will take the conclusions of those groups to Cabinet where we will discuss them. That is the position. People have asked if we should make a decision on this...

Overseas Missions. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: We are firmly in control of foreign policy. We devise our own foreign policy and do not look to China, America, Indonesia or elsewhere. My advice was that we did not need a UN mandate to deploy people on a voluntary basis overseas, as has always been done. For example, it was done in Mozambique and Honduras. I imagine the subgroups will report by the summer. The overall group met in December....

Overseas Missions. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I understand that but I do not agree. This is a debate we will have over a long period. Second, I reject Deputy Gormley's assertion that there is something lacking in the independence of Ireland's foreign policy. We are part of the EU and have certain responsibilities and obligations in this regard. However, by and large, Ireland controls its own foreign policy.

Overseas Missions. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The answer to the first of Deputy Sherlock's questions is "yes". I am committed to the principle of not involving Irish troops in any military operation unless mandated by the UN. Regarding the triple-lock procedure, the present position will be maintained. I can only give the Deputy my word. I speak on behalf of the Government in assuring the Deputy that it is Government policy that the...

Army Intelligence Operations. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I propose to take Questions Nos. 90 and 1276 together. Both the Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces perform complementary roles in the protection of the security of the State. There is ongoing and close liaison between the Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces regarding internal security matters, including in the intelligence field. Both agencies gather and share information and...

Army Intelligence Operations. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: There is no justification for maintaining surveillance on people just because they happen to be political activists whose views do not coincide with the mainstream political opinions of the day. Military intelligence reports to me and I assure the House that nobody is under surveillance from military intelligence anyway simply because they happen to be involved in politics or democratic...

Army Intelligence Operations. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I am aware of the State papers to which the Deputy refers. However, I will not make any comment or second-guess the judgment of the people who decided to put anybody under surveillance at any time. That was done by people in military intelligence and was sanctioned by or at least known to those who were Ministers at the time. I answer for military intelligence now and take full responsibility...