A Cheann Comhairle, I wish to correct the notice I gave to your office which refers to the lack of food and water supply to the 80 gardaí participating in the United Nations operations in Angola. In fact some ten and not 80 gardaí are involved in the operation. The issue is nonetheless as important and pressing for the ten gardaí involved. I hope the record will be corrected to show that the error was mine and not made by anybody else.
Adjournment Debate. - Gardaí On UN Duty in Angola.
There are ten rather than 80 gardaí involved?
Yes, but the matter is as important and urgent, no matter how many are involved. I thank the Chair for allowing me to raise this important matter and the Minister for Justice for finding time to deal with it tonight.
We should be justifiably proud of the contribution that the members of our Defence Forces have played in United Nations' peacekeeping operations throughout the world during the past three decades. In more recent years members of the Garda Síochána have also been called on to play a role in these operations, where their particular expertise and training as police officers is more appropriate than that of soldiers. The high level of risk faced by all our personnel on UN operations was brought home again just ten days ago with the unfortunate killing of Corporal Michael McCarthy in the Lebanon.
Personnel who go abroad accept there is an element of risk involved. They accept also that as they are generally going to less developed countries facilities and conditions will not be as good as they are at home. This was particularly so in the case of the ten gardaí who went to Angola, a country which is recovering from a devastating 16 year civil war and whose people face deprivation and famine. Even allowing for this, the conditions under which the ten gardaí with the United Nation's mission in Angola are now operating is a matter of serious concern and merits a strong protest to the United Nations. There seems to have been an utter lack of planning on the part of the United Nations. According to a recent report in The Garda Review, officers have been allowed to fend for themselves because the United Nations failed to put in place the necessary administrative and back-up network.
Accommodation is poor, logistical back-up is virtually non-existent and basics like food and water are in short supply. The situation is so bad that members have to devote most of their time and effort to providing for themselves rather than doing the policing task for which they were sent out. I was alerted to the appalling conditions in Angola when I read the November issue of The Garda Review, which I received yesterday and I appreciate that the Chair allowed the matter to be raised this evening. The position of the ten gardaí is appalling and is negating the functions which they were sent out originally to perform. It appears from the account in the report that they are foraging and fending for themselves most of the time and are not able to engage in any effective policing, the work they were originally asked to do.
I am aware that the Garda surgeon, Dr. John Malone, is due in Angola this month, but in the meantime I ask the Minister to let us know what action has been taken to assist the plight of our gardaí there; what pressure has been put on the United Nations to provide the back-up services that are a normal part of an operation like this? Have we sought assurances that before we agree to send gardaí abroad again — and 20 gardaí are on standby to travel to the Western Sahara — they will not be abandoned by the United Nations and left virtually to their own devices?
Given the appalling conditions under which the gardaí are working in Angola, there is a need to look at the allowances being paid to them. I understand they are receiving a daily allowance which is only half that paid to the gardaí who recently returned from Namibia, where conditions were much less severe than those being experienced by the gardaí in Angola. The allowance clearly should be increased to compensate them for the dreadful conditions in which they are working.
A Cheann Comhairle, let me say at the outset that the number one priority for the Government in relation to participation in United Nations missions is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the members of the Garda Síochána and Defence Forces who partake in them. There is no denying the fact that these missions are extremely demanding on those who take part in them. The job requires exceptional physical and mental fitness and selection procedures are designed to choose only those volunteers who are well capable of meeting the heavy demands placed upon them.
I am aware from Garda reports received from Angola that conditions there are far more demanding than those which normally apply on UN service. The whole infrastructure of Angola has been torn apart during the 16 year civil war which raged there to such an extent that food supplies are disrupted and local transport, accommodation and communications systems are virtually non-existent. This has presented the UN command with major logistical difficulties in establishing their UNAVEM mission. My understanding is that these aspects of the mission are currently receiving priority attention and that the welfare of mission personnel is foremost in the minds of the mission commanders.
I have no wish to play down the extreme conditions which Irish personnel are currently enduring in Angola. At the same time, however, it is important that we maintain a proper perspective on this matter. I want to assure the families and friends of those courageous gardaí and soldiers who are serving in Angola that there is no question of their loved ones being in any imminent danger. Reports indicate that they are all continuing to give of their best in the harsh conditions in which they work and that morale is good.
Neither do I want word to go out from this House that the Government are doing nothing more than monitoring conditions in Angola while Irish personnel are having to endure unacceptable conditions there. I can tell the House that strong representations have been made in person to Mr. Marack Goulding, Under General Secretary of the United Nations during his recent visit to Dublin. Mr. Goulding had been to Angola prior to his visit here and was in no doubt as to the appalling conditions there. He has given a firm commitment to ensuring that the Angolan mission receives immediate and priority attention and that all the necessary improvements in accommodation, food supply, transport and communications are advanced as expeditiously as possible.
The Permanent Irish Representation to the United Nations in New York has been fully briefed by the Department of Foreign Affairs about our concern for our personnel in Angola and they are putting continuing pressure on the UN to ensure that the undertakings given by the Under General Secretary are fulfilled in the shortest possible time. Notwithstanding the undertakings received from the UN, the Government have acted to guarantee the welfare of our personnel in Angola. I have authorised the Garda surgeon, who holds the rank of Assistant Commissioner in the Garda Síochána, to travel to Angola and to observe first-hand the conditions which face each member of the Garda contingent. I will be seeking an immediate report from the surgeon on his return to this country in the coming days and I can assure the House that whatever action is necessary on foot of this report will be taken.