Dinny McGinley
Question:1 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Defence if he has satisfied himself with the standard and quality of equipment as well as other services available to Defence Forces personnel on the Liberian mission. [29531/03]
Ceisteanna – Questions. Priority Questions. - Defence Forces Equipment.
Joe Sherlock
Question:4 Mr. Sherlock asked the Minister for Defence if the final composition of the Defence Forces contingent for the United Nations Mission in Liberia has now been confirmed; the details of the numbers and the role they will play; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29530/03]
Bernard J. Durkan
Question:64 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence if he has satisfied himself that all Irish troops likely to be posted to Liberia are fully equipped with the most modern equipment required on such missions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29625/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1, 4 and 64 together.
Before dealing with these questions, I know the House will wish to join me in expressing deepest sympathy to the family of the late Sergeant Derek Mooney on their tragic loss and in acknowledging the sacrifice made by him in the cause of peace in Liberia. On Thursday, 27 November 2003, Sergeant Mooney was tragically killed following a road traffic accident in Liberia, while involved in a routine familiarisation patrol approximately 40 km south of Monrovia. I would also like to express sympathy to the other Defence Forces personnel who were injured in the accident and to wish them a speedy recovery.
As the House will be aware, on 24 September, 2003, the Government authorised, subject to Dáil approval, the dispatch of a contingent of the Permanent Defence Force for service with the United Nations Mission in Liberia, UNMIL. The necessary enabling resolution was passed by Dáil Éireann on 12 November 2003. The Irish contingent being deployed for service with UNMIL comprises a motorised infantry battalion, of some 430 personnel. A small number of additional personnel has been deployed at force headquarters and as military observers. At the request of the UN, a contingent of the army ranger wing, amounting to some 40 personnel, has been deployed for a three-month period.
The main Irish contingent will operate as the force commanders rapid reaction reserve. The role of the Irish personnel will be the provision of an immediate response capability, deployable in sufficient strength and with the required level of force to provide a swift and decisive military reaction to any crisis situation. In the initial stages, the Irish battalion will act in a pathfinding role for UN brigades deploying beyond Monrovia.
Deployment to UNMIL will be completed by mid-December 2003. Initial deployment will be for one year, with a possible extension thereafter, subject to renewal of the UN mandate and a satisfactory review of the mission. In the case of UNMIL, my intention is that Defence Forces involvement will not exceed two to three years in duration. Elections which are due in 2005 under a comprehensive peace agreement should be completed at that stage.
A detailed reconnaissance and threat assessment has been undertaken in the mission area by a Defence Forces team. The military authorities have reported that Liberia is potentially a dangerous theatre of operations. Because of the threat, force protection is a primary concern for the Defence Forces. However, this threat should decline as the UN peacekeeping troops are deployed beyond Monrovia in the next phase of deployment.
The safety and health of Irish personnel serving overseas is always of paramount concern to me and, I know, to my colleagues in this House. While no absolute guarantees can be given with regard to the safety of troops serving in missions, it is my policy and practice to ensure that Defence Forces personnel are appropriately trained and equipped to carry out their mission.
A wide range of equipment and force protection assets are being deployed with the contingent. This equipment is of the highest quality. The Mowag APCs were deployed with the Defence Forces when they served in the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, UNMEE, where they performed effectively. We are also deploying armoured vehicles and support weapons, heavy machine guns and a mortar platoon. Due to the equipment modernisation programmes that have taken place in the Defence Forces over the past few years, UNMIL will be the best equipped battalion from Ireland ever to serve overseas.
From a health perspective, I am confident that we have taken every reasonable step to ensure the good health of our personnel on this mission. The battalion will be equipped with a state of the art medical facility. This facility will be operated by two medical doctors, who will be assisted by a team of 13 Defence Forces medical personnel and paramedics. Special training on the environmental health issues arising in a tropical setting is being provided to our medical personnel by Dutch experts. Additional medical personnel are also being deployed because of the particularly hazardous nature of the health environment. The battalion will be bringing its own water purification plant and sewage treatment plant.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House.The availability of back-up medical arrangements has also been ensured. A full surgical medical facility is being provided to the mission, initially by the Netherlands, which has dispatched a fully equipped naval hospital ship to Liberia to provide medical assistance facilities to the UN peacekeeping mission, and thereafter by Jordan. In addition, there is a Red Cross medical facility in Monrovia and a full surgical medical facility in Freetown. I would like to acknowledge the assistance provided by the Dutch medical team to the member of the Defence Forces injured in last week's accident.
I commend the individual members of the Permanent Defence Force who have served, and who continue to serve, on overseas missions, together with their families and loved ones. As we enter into the Christmas season, I know it will be a difficult time for the families, with loved ones far from home. However, I hope that the arrangements we are putting in place with the provision of telephone services, Internet access and a direct mail service will help ensure that there is good and effective ongoing contact between our peacekeepers and their families. Finally, I would like to assure the House that the Government will do whatever it can to protect our personnel and return them safely to their families.
I would like to associate myself with the comments made by the Minister for Defence, Deputy Smith, and would convey our sympathies to the relatives of the late Sergeant Derek Mooney, whose funeral we attended last Tuesday in Dublin. Everyone agrees this was a tragic start to this tour of duty by our peacekeeping forces in Africa. For a number of reasons this the most dangerous mission that has been undertaken by the Defence Forces since they were in the Congo, 40 years ago. This is a war-torn country with armed gangs and even child soldiers running around armed to the teeth. It is a country ravaged by disease as well. Geographically it is very near what used to be known as the "white man's grave".
Is the Minister satisfied the Defence Forces have the best equipment to carry out their duties there? There were reports that some of the armoured cars being used on this mission go back to the time they were in the Congo, 40 years ago. Is that true, and if so, are these vehicles up to standard, safe and dependable? Is the Minister confident the medical expertise and backup are available to provide the best possible medical services for these personnel who are serving in Liberia on our behalf?
I thank Deputy McGinley for his support and concern and his expression of sympathy to the Mooney family. I also thank him for his attendance at Sergeant Mooney's funeral.
The Defence Forces have the best equipment they have ever had. This mission could not have been undertaken because of the associated risks were it not for the fact that the Defence Forces are much better equipped now. They have used the Mowag personnel carriers in UNMEE and they have worked well in Eritrea and Ethiopia.
We were concerned to ensure that the best possible arrangements were in train in terms of the health risks, through the programme that has been initiated in training, preparation and inoculation before the forces leave for Liberia. The field hospital will be run by two doctors with 13 backup personnel and paramedics, with support from the Dutch in training and environmental matters associated with tropical settings. We are grateful to the Dutch whose ship provides tertiary medical backup with world-class surgical and medical facilities. They have arrived in Liberia in the last few days. Hospitals run by the International Committee of the Red Cross are in Monrovia, also.
We are determined, as far as we can, to ensure that the best possible arrangements are put in place. I assure the House that everything we can possibly do is being done. There are particular risks attached to the mission, as Deputy McGinley said, not just from the physical dangers entailed, but also on the health side. It is a necessary obligation we have to take on and since our soldiers are prepared to go there we are obliged to make sure they have the equipment, the back-up support and the health facilities that are required.
As we approach Christmas, 430 soldiers have volunteered to go to Liberia. I thank them for volunteering to go and I thank their families who will miss them, particularly during the Christmas. They will be away from their families undertaking this serious mission. I will do all I can to ensure they have everything necessary to keep them safe.
The death of Sergeant Derek Mooney graphically illustrated the dangers facing our troops in Liberia. I extend my sympathy to the family of the dead soldier.
What is the total number of personnel travelling? What specialised training is being provided for the troops? Are they being provided with appropriate uniforms and equipment for use in tropical areas? As concern has been expressed that militia groups in Liberia have rocket grenade launchers at their disposal, what equipment is available to troops to protect themselves against this threat? Will the medical team be in place from the beginning?
Rocket propelled grenades are not a new threat to the Defence Forces. They encountered them in Lebanon, Somalia, Bosnia and Kosovo. Meeting head on such difficulties is not new to the Defence Forces. There are approximately 430 personnel involved. As is the case for all missions, the first requirement is for expert personnel in the Defence Forces to do the reconnaissance work and assess the mission requirements in terms of equipment, medical requirements and the threat involved. They then report to me whether it is a mission that can be undertaken. The mission will only be undertaken following the assessment and approval of the Government and this House. It is a very serious decision in the first instance.
Deputy Sherlock can be satisfied that the preparatory work done on the risk assessment has proved over the years to be of an expert nature. He asked about training in particular. He will probably appreciate that one of the great morale boosters for the Defence Forces is the opportunity to serve overseas in missions which involve such challenges. The preparatory training carried out is of a very high calibre. Our soldiers like to have an opportunity to serve overseas. The commanders and people in charge, depending on the nature and requirements of the mission, could have anything up to three months training in advance. In some instances, it is of a shorter duration for members of the Defence Forces who have multiple experience in missions of this kind. The Deputy can be assured that the training and preparatory work is not just of an expert nature, but takes into account all the exigencies of the situation.
Will they be allowed home leave during their tour of duty on this occasion? I believe it is customary that they are allowed home leave or that their relatives are entitled to visit. Are there any such arrangements in place for this tour?
We certainly try to improve communications between members of the Defence Forces and their families. Telephone arrangements, Internet access and so on are put in place. We are considering what else can be done in the circumstances in Liberia which is different from previous missions. We have not yet made a decision but we will assess the situation.