Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 828: To ask the Minister for Defence the reason he has refused statutory employment protection in respect of reservists who volunteer for overseas service; the further reason he has ignored the examples set out by the USA, UK and Australia in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11858/09]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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In line with the provisions of the Reserve Defence Force Review Implementation Plan, it is hoped that a small number of Reservists will be able to undertake overseas service in late 2009.

As the number of personnel from the Reserve who are likely to serve overseas is small, it was anticipated that the required number of Reservist could be met, for initial pilot deployments, from personnel with personal circumstances that enable them to commit to such service. The military authorities have identified a small number of overseas posts requiring specific skills that may be filled by members of the Reserve. This is likely to involve deployment to the mission in Kosovo for a period of 6 months.

The military authorities have sought expressions of interest from among suitably qualified Reservists who have undertaken integrated training. The military authorities are at an advanced stage in identifying Reservists who may be eligible and willing to apply for a small number of specified overseas positions. While there may be a variety of barriers that impact on the availability of some members of the Reserve to commit to overseas service, including concerns regarding their employment, any commitment to overseas service by members of the Reserve will be on a voluntary basis.

I am aware that other countries have introduced legislative measures in order to cater for their particular defence requirements. In this context, my primary objective is to ensure that we develop an appropriate framework that meets our particular needs.

Options to remove barriers that impact on achieving the required numbers and skill-sets of Reservists for overseas service will be considered on foot of the lessons learned from pilot overseas deployments.