Alan Shatter
Question:59 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Defence the progress, if any, he has made in establishing an emergency team to respond to specific requests from the UN. [9273/99]
Written Answers. - Overseas Missions.
There is currently a total of 748 military personnel serving overseas of which 710 are serving with UN missions. Late last year I agreed to the secondment of 27 personnel to the Agency for Personal Service Overseas to assist in the relief effort in Honduras following the devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch. Their work has just been completed and the last members of the group returned home last week. Four military personnel have recently been seconded to GOAL and are based in Albania and two personnel are on secondment to the Irish Refugee Agency and are based in Macedonia. These personnel are engaged in relief work relating to the Kosovar refugees in those areas.
The position in relation to requests for personnel for overseas missions is that any such requests are considered on their merits in the prevailing circumstances within the context of the United Nations Stand-by Arrangements System. This system is intended to enhance the United Nations capacity for rapid response to emergency situations. It has been decided that the Defence Forces will participate in this system up to a maximum of 850 personnel at any one time. I signed, on behalf of Ireland, a memorandum of understanding with the UN when I visited UN headquarters New York in October 1998. There is no obligation to participate in any particular mission and Dáil approval would be required for the dispatch of a contingent to a specific operation. The decision to participate in UNSAS is a tangible expression of Ireland's continuing commitment to involvement in peacekeeping operations. Such peacekeeping operations invariably facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid in the troubled areas.
On a separate but related matter, there is at present an initiative sponsored by Denmark known as SHIRBRIG. This envisages the establishment of a high readiness multi-national brigade, composed of contributions to the UNSAS with the aim of deploying troops at short notice to troubled spots around the world. Ireland has been keeping a watching brief on this initiative. The question of participation by Ireland in SHIRBRIG will be kept under review.