Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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In exercising his statutory duty of care to his troops, the Irish Commander of the 99th Infantry Battalion deployed with the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) conducted a risk assessment of all activities, including sporting activities, carried out by personnel deployed in the theatre of operations. It was the Commander's assessment that the risk of hospitalisation or permanent repatriation of personnel due to sports injuries was not acceptable to him as all personnel are required for operational deployments on immediate notice. He, therefore, imposed a ban on competitive contact and other sports such as soccer and volleyball.

I might add that a wide range of sporting activities including unarmed combat skills, running and the use of a well equipped gymnasium is available to troops based in Camp Ciara. Any restrictions on contact sports are purely for the benefit of the troops. The fuel shortage in Chad has not impacted on the maintenance of essential "life support" systems in the Irish Camp i.e. water, cooking, sanitation, air –conditioning etc. As such, members of the Permanent Defence Force deployed to Chad are served three hot meals, with multiple choices, each day.