John Cregan (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 225: To ask the Minister for Defence the reason discussions are taking place under the conciliation and arbitration scheme in relation to payment of the permanent instructors allowance to qualified MT instructors with the transport company, Collins Barracks, Cork, in view of the fact that two corporals in Transport G, Cathal Brugha Barracks, Dublin are already being paid this allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20280/08]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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A claim for the payment of Instructors allowance to qualified MT Instructors with the Transport Company, Collins Barracks, Cork was received from the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association (PDFORRA) under the Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme (C&A Scheme) for members of the Permanent Defence Force. The claim is the subject of correspondence between the Department and the Representative Association. The Deputy will appreciate that as discussions under the C&A scheme are confidential to the parties involved it would not be appropriate for me to comment further on the matter at this time.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 226: To ask the Minister for Defence if he is satisfied that all Irish troops based at home or abroad including the Navy and Air Corps are trained to the highest possible international standards and that the same degree of modern technology is made available to them as is available to other armies worldwide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20535/08]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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On the issue of training, I am very satisfied that military training techniques are up to date in all respects. Defence Forces training plans are structured to provide the capabilities needed to execute the roles assigned to them by Government under the White Paper on Defence of February 2000. The challenges of preparing military units for participation in international peace support operations constitute the major dimension of Defence Forces collective training. The primary focus of this training is the attainment of a capability for military interoperability in order to conduct peace support operations to international standards.

The acquisition of new equipment for the Defence Forces continues to be a key focus for me as Minister for Defence. Significant investment has taken place in recent years across all facets and elements of the Defence Forces. This investment has been assisted by pay savings arising from the reduction in the strength of the Permanent Defence Force in the context of the White Paper of 2000, which have been fully re-invested in the provision of equipment and infrastructure for the Defence Forces. The level of investment has ensured that Defence Forces personnel have the most modern and effective range of equipment to carry out their day-to-day roles both at home and overseas and for training purposes and I will ensure that this investment will continue into the future.