Results 1-18 of 18 for operation sophia speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: UN Missions: Motion (16 May 2019)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: ...of State said and I hope I am not making it up. My next question is about the new headquarters which I assume has been set up at this stage as it was announced in 2017. There is strategic level operational planning and conduct of the European Union's non-executive military missions. They are the training missions in central Africa, Mali and Somalia. Are Irish troops committed to them...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: UN Missions: Motion (16 May 2019)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: ...out of the mission. When the Poles take over the role previously carried out by the Finns in November, 106 Irish troops will no longer be required. In addition, 100 troops may be freed up if Operation Sophia is not continued. When one also takes into account the shortfall of 230 troops, these figures suggest that of the 850 members of the Defence Forces that we could have available for...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (5 Mar 2019)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: ...year was an exceptional year because it had peaked but it has dropped back. Was this because of new equipment being more efficient and, if so, why was it so high last year? Given that Irish Naval Service vessels are continuously on Operation Sophia in the Mediterranean Sea, I would have expected that the figures for the purchase of fuel and lubricants, specialist training and so on would...

European Defence Agency Project: Motion (19 Feb 2019)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: ...and his predecessors in Fianna Fáil have been doing the EU's bidding with this and other motions for quite a long time. They have moved further and further away from the laudable UN peacekeeping operations and have become an integral part of the European military apparatus. We have soldiers at the NATO headquarters, at the European military headquarters and we had soldiers on...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Deployment (21 Nov 2018)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: When the change from Operation Pontus to Operation Sophia took place, I and other Deputies warned the Minister of State that it was shifting away from a humanitarian mission to one of policing and imposing the EU's fortress Europe attitude in the Mediterranean. This has been borne out by the figures provided by the Minister of State, that the LÉ James Joycereturned after 100 days at...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces Deployment (21 Nov 2018)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: This question relates to the LÉ James Joycereturning from duties of 16 weeks in the Mediterranean without saving a single life and the terms of the mission in the Mediterranean under Operation Sophia, compared with the original mission, Operation Pontus, which was a humanitarian mission. The fact that no life was saved shows the shift away from the humanitarian mission that was...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence Forces: Discussion (15 Nov 2018)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: ...the Defence Forces, like every organisation, is engaging in some planning in the background. Many people take significant pride in the work done by the Defence Forces overseas, in particular with UNIFIL, Operation Pontus and Operation Sophia. Recently, when the LÉ James Joycereturned to Ireland, it was commented that it was not involved in as many rescues on this occasion. We did...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Search and Rescue Missions in Mediterranean and Migration Crisis: Médecins Sans Frontières (5 Jul 2018)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: ...allowed to be back at sea to rescue people. That is the genuine feeling of most Irish people. Whether they agree or disagree with the European Union, there was a presumption before Ireland signed up to Operation Sophia that we were involved in a humanitarian mission in the Mediterranean. I have become increasingly concerned, on questioning the Minister of State at the Department of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Naval Service Operations (10 May 2018)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: 2. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if Naval Service vessels, as part of Operation Sophia (details supplied), have observed or have been prevented by the Libyan Coast Guard from going to the aid of migrants in distress in international waters in view of the fact that it has threatened, shot at persons at sea and in the sea contrary to the International Convention for the Safety...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Naval Service Operations (10 May 2018)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: This question relates to the role of the Naval Service in Operation Sophia when it changed from Operation Pontus. Is the Navy contributing to an ongoing immigration problem and abuse of human rights, particularly in detention centres in Libya?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Naval Service Operations (10 May 2018)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: As the Minister of State will know, there have been reports of migrant boats being shot at by the Libyan Coast Guard. Will he outline if any vessel involved in Operation Sophia, in particular Irish Naval Service vessels, were present when the Libyan Coast Guard acted in a manner that was aggressive towards migrants in international waters or shot at or above the heads of migrants in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Naval Service Operations (10 May 2018)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: The Minister of State referred to the other duties of those participating in Operation Sophia. Apart from intercepting people smugglers and migrants trying to head towards Europe, is there any success in capturing those involved in people smuggling, or preventing weapons and oil smuggling in that part of the Mediterranean in which the LÉ Samuel Beckettis currently operating?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council: Defence and Related Matters (26 Apr 2018)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: I apologise for being late but I have managed to catch up on what the Minister of State had to say earlier. Some of it was to be expected anyway. Regarding Operation Sophia, which the Minister of State mentioned in his contribution and which has come before the committee on a number of occasions, I have raised concerns in the past about the change from the original operation to Operation...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Naval Service Data (13 Feb 2018)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: ...in the Mediterranean Sea each year to date; the number of Defence Forces personnel deployed on the missions per annum; the annual cost of the missions; if the use of Naval Service vessels in Operation Sophia has reduced the availability of the vessels for search and rescue missions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6930/18]

Other Questions: Military Neutrality (18 Oct 2017)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: ...resign his commission? If not, will he still be bound by departmental guidelines, policies and instructions? We were told before the summer that the pressure for us to move a motion signing up to Operation Sophia came from within the Defence Forces. Is the award of a nomination his reward for succeeding in moving Ireland against its own neutral policy?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence Forces Strategy Statement 2017 to 2020: Department of Defence (5 Oct 2017)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: ...raised by Senator Daly is that neutrality should be reflected in the document. The second point on that issue of neutrality is that there seems to be a clamour to get the Defence Forces involved in operations overseas which are dubious in terms of Ireland's neutrality. I have had the argument around Operation Sophia and other operations. The point I want to raise on this aspect is that...

Defence Forces Operations: Motion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2017)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: ...such time as the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence has considered it. Despite the claims of the Minister earlier today, there is no urgency. Why would we sign up to an operation that is nearing the end of its mandate in December, given that it would take at least three months to prepare for it and the existing operation continues until November of this year?...

Defence Forces Operations: Motion (12 Jul 2017)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: ...to section 2 of the Defence (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1960, as applied by section 2 of the Defence (Amendment) Act 2006, the deployment of a contingent of the Permanent Defence Force to serve as part of EUNAVFOR MED - Operation Sophia, in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2312 (2016) and UN Security Council Resolution 2357 (2017), and subject to renewal of the UN...