Vol. 533 No. 4
55 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Defence the reason as stated in the Partnership for Peace individual partnership programme, it is intended to reduce the peace support commitment to the United Nations stand-by arrangements system as soon as possible. [9080/01]
The PFP individual partnership programme, which shows the level of Defence Forces deployment overseas at 919 in August 2000, states that, "It is intended to reduce the peace support commitment to the UNSAS ceiling of 850 as soon as possible." This short-term excess last year over the agreed maximum commitment under UNSAS arose from the Government's desire to respond to the very difficult situation in East Timor and the necessity to deploy additional Irish personnel to Lebanon in June 2000 to augment the Irish Battalion serving with UNIFIL following the Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon.
The total number of Defence Forces personnel currently serving abroad on UN missions is 833. The total number of personnel serving overseas is 870.
