Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Question 74: To ask the Minister for Defence if members of the Defence Forces serving in Chad will be awarded a UN MINURCAT medal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17887/09]

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 106: To ask the Minister for Defence if he will confirm that Irish troops serving with the UN in Chad may not qualify for UN medals for their tour of duty in view of the fact that they will fall 90 days short of the 400 required; if he will raise this matter with the United Nations with a view to securing medals for these troops; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17777/09]

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 457: To ask the Minister for Defence the action being taken to ensure that all members of the Defence Forces who are serving or have served in Chad receive a United Nations medal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18175/09]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 74, 106 and 457 together.

Medals are 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 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 international organization responsible for the mission. Accordingly, in this instance, qualifying personnel currently deployed to Chad as part of the EUFOR Chad / CAR mission were awarded European Security Defence Policy (ESDP) EUFOR Service Medals prior to being "rehatted" to the UN MINURCAT Mission on 15 March 2009. The qualifying criterion for the award of a UN MINURCAT Medal is at least ninety (90) days service in the theatre. Consequently, personnel returning in May will not be eligible for the award of this medal. I do not intend raising this matter with the UN authorities.

Furthermore, 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 recognised per tour of duty. Personnel deployed to Chad beyond 15 March 2009 or indeed those personnel who were ineligible for an ESDP 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 i.e. over 90 days service.