Results 261-280 of 2,815 for speaker:Tony Killeen

Decentralisation Programme (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: The Department of Defence is moving to Newbridge, County Kildare, under the decentralisation programme. All of the Department's Dublin based Civil Service staff will relocate to Newbridge. The Chief of Staff, the deputy chiefs of staff and a number of other military personnel will also relocate. Relocation of staff to the new building has commenced and will be completed by 8 November 2010....

Decentralisation Programme (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: The move to Newbridge will see all civil branches of the Department located either in Newbridge or in Renmore, Galway. The management advisory committee, planning and organisation branch, Defence Forces personnel policy branch, international security and defence policy branch, executive branch, legislation branch, litigation branch, property management branch, conciliation and arbitration...

Decentralisation Programme (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: The principal responsibility remaining in Parkgate Street will be the communications centre, which is a considerable physical infrastructure. It has associated staff of slightly more than 50. It will continue to be accommodated in Parkgate Street for the moment until it is relocated. Members will be aware that there was a second phase to the decentralisation project which would have...

Decentralisation Programme (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: I should have said at the outset that responsibility for the accommodation of the Department of Defence lies with the Office of Public Works, OPW.

Decentralisation Programme (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: It owns the property. I understand it has plans for the location of other personnel there. Due to the nature of the communications centre, it is not something that can be moved overnight. In fact, large elements of it must be recreated to facilitate its transfer.

Decentralisation Programme (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: The cost is being dealt with by the OPW. It is not as large as one might expect but it is an issue that is being dealt with by the OPW.

Decentralisation Programme (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: I do not know the figures involved. For very good reasons it is desirable to have the communications centre located in exclusively military surroundings.

Decentralisation Programme (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: Clearly, Parkgate Street will not meet that criterion in the future, particularly if another Department is located there.

Decentralisation Programme (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: Even if it were not, I understand the OPW has plans for all the property it controls or rents-----

Decentralisation Programme (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: It will undertake to ensure that the Department is adequately housed.

White Paper on Defence (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6, 27, 33 and 49 together. The renewed programme for Government sets out the commitment for the preparation of a new White Paper on defence, for the period 2011 to 2020. I have circulated a draft memorandum to my Cabinet colleagues outlining the proposed approach to developing the new White Paper. I intend to bring a memorandum to Government in the near...

White Paper on Defence (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: The proposals in the first White Paper in 2000 have had a huge influence on the development of the Defence Forces into a highly professional, highly organised, well resourced organisation and this would not have happened in the same away or as effectively in the absence of the White Paper. With regard to the new White Paper, I have invited a number of interested parties, among them the...

White Paper on Defence (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: Considerable work has been undertaken in the Department and I have been involved in trying to advance some of that. The military authorities have been considering the implications for themselves and trying to predict what challenges their organisations might have to deal with over the next decade. One element of that is an environmental analysis and much of that work will be done internally...

White Paper on Defence (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: The size of the Defence Forces was agreed in the context of budget 2010 and that stands independently of the White Paper process. I expect, however, the process to set out the requirements of the armed forces for the next ten years. I always felt the figure of 10,000 was dangerous in the sense that it was open to attack on that basis that it could be said it was plucked out of mid-air. I...

White Paper on Defence (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: I apologise to Deputy Stanton; I missed the question about the value for money review for the RDF and another question he asked about the reserve earlier. It is clear that a White Paper on the Defence Forces has to consider centrally within it the role of the reserve. At the risk of being seen to overly impact on the process, it is instructive and interesting to consider the experience of...

White Paper on Defence (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: It is not my intention to include the Civil Defence because of the organisational structure under which it operates. I missed one question put by Deputy O'Shea, an important question concerning battle groups. One of my colleagues, the Swedish Minister, indicated his interest in the deployment of battle groups in humanitarian disaster areas. On occasion, the capacity of battle groups could...

Defence Forces Personnel (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: The State Claims Agency deals with claims arising from accidents involving Defence Force vehicles in Ireland. The Chief State Solicitor's office deals with claims arising from accidents involving Defence Force vehicles overseas. The information requested is set out in the following table: Year Number of Defence Force road traffic accident claims received Number of resolved Defence Force...

Defence Forces Personnel (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: I do not believe such detail is available. Apart from the age of the vehicles, to which Deputy O'Shea referred, the variables might include the number and length of journeys undertaken, the number of personnel involved and similar issues which may not be easily extrapolated from tables of this nature. I have some additional information with regard to outstanding cases. I made the point that...

Defence Forces Personnel (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: Several claims have been outstanding for a very long period and are, de facto, dormant, dead or unlikely to be reactivated in some instances. There are a total of 53 including those for 2010. At least 15 of these predate 2006 and one goes back to 1998. These are not active in any sense. Regarding vehicles, the close interaction between the transport people and the State Claims Agency has...

Defence Forces Personnel (21 Oct 2010)

Tony Killeen: Deputy O'Shea is correct that there is a considerable amount of movement by military vehicles on a daily basis through several parts of the country. There is a major number of opportunities in terms of exposure to the road. I do not have a breakdown in respect of the seriousness of accidents. The number of fatalities is thankfully small, but any fatality is one too many. By serious...