Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 559: To ask the Minister for Defence if members of the Irish mission serving with the UN forces in Chad will be granted a UN medal for military service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15828/09]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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In general terms, medals are currently awarded to members of the Defence Forces on the basis of various criteria such as their length of service, for service overseas and for acts of bravery associated with such service both at home and overseas.

Members who serve overseas on UN missions or UN mandated missions, subject to certain criteria, are currently eligible for the award of the UN Peacekeepers Medal. This medal is only awarded once to any one individual, irrespective of the number of overseas missions that they complete during their career. In addition to the Peacekeepers Medal, a member who serves overseas may also be eligible for the award of a mission-specific medal by the mission organisers.

Accordingly, in this instance, qualifying personnel currently deployed to Chad as part of the EUFOR Chad / CAR mission were awarded European Security Defence Policy (ESDF) EUFOR Service Medals prior to being "rehatted" to the UN MINURCAT Mission on 15 March 2009.

I am advised by the military authorities that it is not intended to further award such personnel the UN MINURCAT Mission Medal. Owing to the importance placed on the award of medals and in order to preserve the sense of value and entitlement attached to same, it is policy that only one service medal is awarded per tour of duty. Personnel deployed to Chad beyond 15 March 2009 or indeed those personnel who were ineligible for an ESDF EUFOR Service Medal, will be eligible for the award of a UN MINURCAT Mission Medal provided they meet the qualifying criteria as set down by the UN.