Results 16,461-16,480 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Overseas Missions (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: On 1 April 2011, the Council of the European Union adopted the decision, underpinning the mandates of UN Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973 (2011), establishing an operation called "EUFOR Libya" to stand ready to support humanitarian assistance in the region if requested by the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA. This decision provides the legal...

Overseas Missions (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: I never cease to be amazed at the manner in which the Deputy approaches matters. He may have noticed that if not for the intervention of the British, French and Americans, the population of Benghazi would probably be under Gadaffi rule and many thousands of civilians would have lost their lives. The town of Misrata is under siege while the town of Ajdabiya has been subject to rocket attacks...

Overseas Missions (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: Last Friday, it engaged in the meaningful act of picketing the European Union offices about Libya. How did that go? Did the Deputy find after the picket that Colonel Gadaffi had stopped bombing and trying to murder his own population? Did he discover that this was a particularly effective approach to take in addressing the intent of a murderous regime? Deputy Boyd Barrett has an...

Overseas Missions (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy seems to be of the view that his protesting is effective in stopping Colonel Gadaffi from butchering his own civilian population. That seems to be the Deputy's rather confused view.

Overseas Missions (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: Unfortunately, so far, the Deputy's protests have not impacted greatly on Colonel Gadaffi.

Overseas Missions (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: Perhaps the Deputy might send Colonel Gadaffi a video of his protesting outside the European Union offices in Dublin. I am sure he will be impressed.

Overseas Missions (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: On the UN position, as I said, there is no requirement for the deployment of military assets for humanitarian purposes. With regard to the role of the NATO-led operation, Operation Unified Protector, to which the Deputy referred in his question, NATO-led forces are committed to full implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973. They are taking action to protect civilians...

Reserve Defence Force (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: I am advised by the military authorities that the strength of the Reserve Defence Force, as at 31 March, was as follows: First Line Reserve, 305; Army Reserve, 5,504; and Naval Service Reserve, 221. A value for money review of the Reserve Defence Force commenced in February 2010 and is ongoing. The review is being overseen by a civil-military steering committee with an independent chair and...

Reserve Defence Force (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: I hope the review will be finished shortly and that it will give us an opportunity to consider any changes that need to be effected. I see the Reserve as an important part of the Defence Forces and look forward to its continued involvement in the Defence Forces. Some of the plans previously put in place did not work in practice and some aspects had to be postponed. The review will provide...

Leaders' Questions (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: Yes, the news has broken now but it happened last November.

Order of Business (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy had 14 years to address that.

Order of Business (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy's party did not establish a Department for children for ten years.

Order of Business (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy is complaining after five weeks.

Army Barracks (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: I cannot give a commitment that there will not be further programmes of barrack consolidation. The defence property portfolio is kept under review to ensure the most effective use of military resources having regard to the roles assigned by Government to the Defence Forces. The consolidation of the Defence Forces formations into a smaller number of locations is a key objective for me as we...

Army Barracks (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: As the Deputy may know, a total of €85 million was received in respect of the sale of seven barracks at Ballincollig, Fermoy, Naas, Castleblayney, Monaghan, Longford and Islandbridge - latterly called Clancy Barracks - which has been closed for over 12 years. Only part of Longford Barracks was closed. Should barrack closures occur in the future, I would be anxious that we should continue...

Army Barracks (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: There is no list of potential barrack closures. In the context of the overall resource limitations within which the Government is operating and by which my Department is affected, we are considering how best to use the resources available in order to maintain the Defence Forces at the very high level at which they currently operate and provide an efficient and streamlined defence...

Defence Forces Personnel (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: Lariam is a chemo prophylactic agent first authorised for use in 1989 by the Irish Medicines Board which is the statutory body charged with regulating the use of medicines to ensure the quality, safety and efficacy of medicines available in Ireland. It remains the medication of choice for the Defence Forces for overseas missions to certain malarious areas. While certain risks associated...

Defence Forces Personnel (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: The reason we use the drug is not it is the cheapest on the market. Three other anti-malaria medications are available: Chloroquine, Malarone and Doxycycline. However, there are specific reasons each of these products is not suitable for use by the Defence Forces in sub-Saharan Africa, the area in which the drug has been used. Chloroquine is no longer in use because of the development of...

Defence Forces Personnel (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: I am unaware of a suicide by any member of the Defence Forces linked to this medicine. The US defence forces stopped using Lariam because they had not undertaken medical examinations to ascertain whether there were contra-indications, as are undertaken in this state before soldiers are posted abroad on UN missions. The US defence forces mass-prescribed it without undertaking any checks....

Decentralisation Programme (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: The previous Government's decision on decentralisation provided for the transfer of the Department's Dublin-based Civil Service staff, together with a number of military personnel, to Newbridge, County Kildare and the decentralisation of the Defence Forces headquarters to the Curragh. Decentralisation to Newbridge took place in November 2010. There are now approximately 170 civil servants...