Vol. 545 No. 4
34 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Defence the circumstances surrounding the injury to a person (details supplied) in a shooting accident in the Glen of Imaal, County Wicklow on or around 27 November 2001; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30859/01]
169 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the circumstances under which live ammunition was used resulting in the injury of a member of the Defence Forces; if procedures will be put in place to prevent a recurrence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30882/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 34 and 169 together.
I take this opportunity to wish a speedy recovery to the member of the Defence Forces who was involved in this unfortunate incident. I have been informed by the Military authorities that he is recovering well from his injuries and I am sure the good wishes of the House go out to him and his family.
On the night of Tuesday last, 27 November 2001, a progression course from two to three star private ranking was under way in the Glen of Imaal. A number of personnel were instructed to fire blank ammunition during the course of the exercise. During the exercise a number of live rounds of ammunition were accidentally discharged. The injured private received bullet wounds to his arm and chest. A military ambulance was on site and the injured party was immediately treated by a qualified emergency medical technician. The injured private was then transferred to Tallaght Hospital and subsequently to St. James's Hospital where he has undergone treatment and is in a stable condition.
Military police were immediately called to the scene and are conducting a full investigation of the incident. I have been informed by the military authorities that a review of current procedures is being conducted urgently to determine what went wrong on this occasion. Pending the outcome, arrangements have been put in place to ensure that a recurrence of the events of 27 November does not take place.
On behalf of Fine Gael and on my behalf, I too extend best wishes to the injured party. While I appreciate that human error can come into play and that it is difficult to put in place a system whereby every eventuality can be covered, I find one aspect of such inquiries unusual. I am sure the Minister will not mind me referring to the last incident which, I think, occurred in Kilworth, where a 60 mm mortar went off. I do not know what were the findings of that inquiry. I know the weapon concerned was withdrawn from service for a period and perhaps it is still withdrawn from service, but it seems to be difficult to get an end result to the inquiry. Can the Minister give us any indication of when we will have a result of this inquiry? If he does not have the information, that is fair enough but perhaps he can update me on the current position in respect of the incident at Kilworth in December 1998.
I agree with Deputy Timmins that sometimes these investigations, which are necessarily quite exhaustive because they must take everything into account, take a considerable time. I have asked on this occasion that the report of the military police and the subsequent court of inquiry, which will have to be held, be expedited as much as possible. However, I assure the Deputy that the safety procedures for military exercises is a matter of constant review for the military authorities. The Deputy will have some familiarity with it. Every effort is made to ensure that nothing like this takes place.
Immediately after the incident I had a meeting with the Deputy Chief of Staff to express my concern that live bullets and blanks could be in such close proximity in these exercises, particularly at night. I am quite sure that changes will be made ultimately to ensure that nothing like that will ever take place again. I will give the details regarding the Kilworth matter to the Deputy as soon as I have them available to me.
