asked the Minister for Defence the number of Army personnel who will undergo specific overseas training in 1986; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Army Overseas Training.
9.
The number of Army personnel who have undergone, or who will undergo, scheduled military training courses abroad in 1986 is 96. While financial provision is being made in respect of unforeseen courses which may arise later in the year, the exact number of personnel who will attend these courses cannot be determined at this stage.
Will the Minister indicate the locations where our personnel have been, are being or will be sent? Is he satisfied that the expenditure is justified in view of the fact that we do not seem to have a supply of modern equipment compared with other nations?
That is a fairly broad question. The Deputy is asking where our personnel have been, are and will be. All I can tell him is what we have planned for the current year.
The current year is all I want.
We propose to send personnel to Britain, France, the Netherlands and the United States of America. In relation to the second part of his question, we have modern equipment, albeit not to the same extent as other military services or armed forces, which needs specialist servicing by specialist personnel who, in turn, need training. In many cases the only place they can get adequate training is where the equipment is manufactured and supplied. That is why we send our personnel abroad and I consider it worth while.
We now move to the questions to the Minister for the Public Service.