Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 421: To ask the Minister for Defence the number of Defence Forces firearms stolen, reported stolen, missing or otherwise unaccounted for in each of the years 2004 to date in 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46726/08]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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There are controls in place to ensure that there can be no interference to inventoried weapons assigned to a Unit of the Defence Forces. All weapons are stored in sound and secure premises where access is restricted to designated personnel. There are frequent and detailed inspections of the serial-numbered assets and items of controlled stores.

Defence Force Regulation L2 on Weapons, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Items of Ordnance and Defence Force Regulation S2 on Financial and Accounting Instructions comprehensively outline the schedule of checking required in respect of all serial-numbered items. There are no reports of firearms belonging to the Defence Forces having been stolen or reported missing as stolen from stores within the State and no weapons are unaccounted for.

The following weapons have been reported as stolen/missing from the Defence Forces during the period 2004 to 2008:

Steyr Rifle from KFOR in Kosovo in March 2004.

Walter PPK 9mm Pistol from UNMIL in Liberia in September 2004.

Steyr rifle was lost overboard at sea from the LE Aisling in July 2006.

HK 9mm Pistol from the 97th Infantry Battalion in Chad in July 2008.

Each of the above incidents has been investigated. The location of the rifle lost at sea is known but the rifle cannot be recovered. In each of the other incidents the stolen or missing firearms have not been recovered.