Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 20: To ask the Minister for Defence the number of overseas missions he has visited to date in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42212/09]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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Over my term of Office as Minister for Defence, I have visited all the major overseas operations where contingents of the Defence Forces are serving. In 2008, I conducted four visits to our overseas missions in Kosovo (2 visits), Chad and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In February this year, I again visited the mission in Chad, our largest overseas operation. My objective in visiting the missions is to see at first hand the work of the Irish Defence Forces personnel serving in the missions, to communicate the support of the Government and the people of Ireland for the important work they are doing, and to get feedback from the troops themselves and from other actors in the area of operations on the effectiveness of the overall mission.

As I said above, I visited the Irish contingent serving with the EU-led mission in Chad and the Central African Republic, EUFOR Tchad/RCA Chad from 24 to 26 February. EUFOR was the predecessor to the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) with which an Irish contingent have been serving since 15 March 2009. On arrival in N'Djamena, I travelled to Camp Europa (EUFOR's Rear HQ) where I was briefed by EUFOR's Deputy Force Commander. I visited Camp Ciara, the headquarters of the Irish-led multinational battalion serving with EUFOR. After a series of briefings and lunch with the troops, I addressed them and congratulated them on the tremendous job they were doing under extremely difficult conditions and terrain. I conveyed to them the best wishes of the Government and the Irish people in the work they were undertaking. I also had the opportunity to visit a patrol base at Koukou Angarana and a refugee camp.

I was very impressed by the motivation being shown by our troops in the performance of their duties in difficult circumstances, their energy and the good atmosphere in the camp generally. The Irish personnel with EUFOR, like our troops in all other missions, have made a significant difference on the ground and have enhanced Ireland's international reputation as neutral, impartial and professional peacekeepers.