Results 12,201-12,220 of 12,646 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Humanitarian Relief. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: To the best of my knowledge, the funding has been increased at least twice. The Minister for Finance has advised us that there is still capacity to increase the emergency fund that is used in such circumstances. No decision has been made on this as yet but we will examine the question when the technical assessment group issues its final report to us.

Humanitarian Relief. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The reply was contained in my response to Deputy Timmins. We are dealing with the sovereign governments of three countries in the region, not just a single unit. We have deployed the military personnel that were requested of us. It has been indicated to us by the team of the Minister for Foreign Affairs that a small number of further logistics experts of the same type may be required. If so,...

Fisheries Protection. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The State's fishery protection capability, as provided by my Department, is delivered by the Naval Service and the Air Corps. The main day-to-day role of the Naval Service, which is equipped with a total of eight vessels comprising one helicopter-carrying vessel, five offshore patrol vessels and two coastal patrol vessels, is to provide a fishery protection service in accordance with the...

Fisheries Protection. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: In response to the Deputy's first question I am not aware of the detail of how navies operate in other countries. We have an obligation to protect Irish assets, namely, the exclusive Irish fishery area. I have outlined the measures we are taking and the resources we are deploying to do that. It is not true to say now, whatever might have been so in the past, that the greater percentage of...

Fisheries Protection. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I would have no difficulty raising this matter at European level but it is a national issue. In 1998 the Government instigated a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers on Naval Service output and how this could be increased. As a result, the naval output in patrolling activity has increased by approximately 35% in the last four years. Even last year it had increased over the previous year. Given...

Fisheries Protection. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: I suspected that Deputy Timmins might want to emphasise and highlight that point on the basis that the public is entitled to know. Obviously there are more Irish vessels to be found in the Irish patrol area and unfortunately statistics show that they are boarded proportionately more often than should be indicated by their numbers. That is an unfortunate statistical fact.

Search and Rescue Service. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The Irish Coastguard 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 services off the north-west coast but withdrew in October 2004 following a handover of this role to CHCI, a private operator, which also provides the service at the country's other search and...

Search and Rescue Service. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: The answer to the last part of the Deputy's question is "no". I have not had any such representations. I emphasise to the Deputy that in regard to emergencies on land, including those that require the air ambulance service, the Air Corps will continue to be available. In regard to what happened in the north west, there are four search and rescue bases in the country, namely, Dublin, Shannon,...

Search and Rescue Service. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: No, I did not mention its capacity.

Search and Rescue Service. (26 Jan 2005)

Willie O'Dea: Cost is certainly a factor, but the primary factor is guaranteeing safety and a 24-hour service. For the information of the House my predecessor, the former Minister, Deputy Michael Smith, outlined to the House on a number of occasions that his decision to change the position in regard to the north west was taken following a considered assessment of the capacity of the Air Corps to return to...

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...