Charlie McConalogue
Question:18. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Defence when he will next attend an EU meeting with his counterparts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48489/12]
View answerEuropean Council Meetings
Questions (18)
Written answers
During each European Union Presidency both formal and informal meetings of Defence Ministers are held. There is no separate Defence Ministers’ Council within the EU Council of Ministers. However, twice a year - once during each Presidency - Defence Ministers attend the formal Foreign Affairs Council. These Council meetings are held in Brussels or Luxembourg at the invitation of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Baroness Catherine Ashton. I will attend the next meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council with Ministers of Defence in Brussels on Monday 19 November 2012. The Agenda for the meeting includes an Orientation debate on Defence Policy in view of discussions at the European Council in December 2013, a presentation and discussion on the Defence Task Force which is responsible for coordinating Defence issues within the Commission and in cooperation with the European External Action Service and the European Defence Agency, as well as a discussion on the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy military operations. As part of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union during the first half of 2013, I will host an Informal Meeting of Defence Ministers in Dublin Castle on 12-13 February 2013.
Defence Forces Reserve Funding
Questions (19)
Pádraig MacLochlainn
Question:19. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Defence the financial supports that will be available to members of the Reserve Defence Forces into the future. [48458/12]
View answerWritten answers
I am not in a position at the present time to outline what financial supports will be available to members of the Reserve into the future. You will appreciate that although the Value for Money Review of the Reserve Defence Force has been submitted to me, the responses to the recommendations contained in that report are currently being developed. Until this process has been finalised, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on financial or other matters relating to the future of the Reserve at this time.
Question No. 20 answered with Question No. 6.
Defence Forces Allowances
Questions (21)
Clare Daly
Question:21. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Defence his views on whether most of the allowances paid to Defence Forces personnel form part of core pay, and will be protected in the event of any review of such allowances. [48562/12]
View answerWritten answers
As the Deputy is aware the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has already undertaken a review of allowances and premium payments across the public sector and proposals were brought to Government for decision. Further to this, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform published the results of this review of allowances and the outcome of the Government decision on its website at www.per.gov.ie. In the interests of bringing forward these savings to the paybill, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform wrote to my Department instructing management to immediately engage with staff interests with a view to securing their early agreement to the elimination of certain Defence Forces allowances.
While Military Service Allowance and some other allowances may be considered to be part of core pay it is important to understand that the term "Allowances" in the Defence sector covers a variety of payment types that are very different from each other. Some are intended to reimburse expenses and do not actually form part of remuneration. Some payments are made in recognition of particular technical or professional qualifications while other allowances recognise particularly onerous duties whether at home or overseas that fall outside the norms taken into account in setting basic pay while also reflecting the fact that the Defence Forces do not receive overtime.
It is also important to recognise that almost two thirds of the payments on allowances is accounted for by the top three categories of allowance, that is, Technician Pay, Security Duty Allowances, and Overseas Peace Support Allowances. The Technical Pay and Security Duty Allowance had previously been selected for review as part of the Defence Sectoral Croke Park Agreement and are currently being addressed with the Representative Associations in accordance with agreed procedures under the Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme for the Defence Forces. The Deputy will appreciate that as discussions under this Scheme are confidential to the parties involved it would not be appropriate for me to comment further on this issue at this juncture.
Overseas Missions
Questions (22)
Robert Troy
Question:22. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Defence the timeframe he proposes to keep seven members of the Defence Forces in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48503/12]
View answerWritten answers
The Defence Forces are primarily deployed on overseas missions in support of international peace and security under UN mandates. On 20 December 2001, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1386 under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, authorising the establishment of an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. There are fourteen UN Security Council Resolutions relating to ISAF, most recently UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2069 (2012), adopted on 9 October 2012. This latest UN Security Council Resolution extended ISAF’s mandate for a further year until October 2013.
Ireland has participated in the NATO–led UN mandated mission since 5 July 2002, following the Government Decision of 2 July 2002, authorising the provision of seven members of the Permanent Defence Force for service with the force.
The continued participation by seven members of the Permanent Defence Force in ISAF is reviewed annually by the Government. The most recent decision by the Government was on 26 June 2012, when it agreed to continue to provide seven members of the Permanent Defence Force for service with ISAF for a further period from July 2012, subject to ongoing review by the Minister for Defence. The seven Defence Forces personnel work in staff appointments in planning and administrative roles based in ISAF headquarters in Kabul. Planning for the drawdown of ISAF generally is currently ongoing and the withdrawal of the Defence Forces personnel from the mission will be coordinated within the context of the overall ISAF drawdown plan.
Question No. 23 answered with Question No. 17.
Drugs Smuggling
Questions (24, 26)
Derek Keating
Question:24. Deputy Derek Keating asked the Minister for Defence are the Defence Forces aid to civil powers activity in relation to the monitoring of and the arresting of those who are importing illicit drugs to the State; if he is satisfied that the Defence Forces, by way of the Irish Navy, the Air Corps and Defence Force patrols, are adequately equipped to assist the Gardaí in dealing with this activity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48455/12]
View answerDerek Keating
Question:26. Deputy Derek Keating asked the Minister for Defence are the Defence Forces aid to civil powers activity in relation to the monitoring of and the arresting of those who are importing illicit drugs to the State; if he is satisfied that the Defence Forces, by way of the Irish Navy, the Air Corps and Defence Force Patrols, are adequately equipped to assist the Gardaí in dealing with this activity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48454/12]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 24 and 26 together.
The Customs Service of the Revenue Commissioners has primary responsibility for the prevention of drug smuggling into the country and responsibility for the prevention of crime rests primarily with An Garda Síochána. However, the White Paper on Defence (2000) provides for a security role for the Naval Service and the Air Corps to support the civil authorities in this area and assistance in the prevention of drug smuggling is recognised as a very important part of their duties.
Government measures to improve law enforcement in relation to drugs, including the establishment in 1993 of a Joint Task Force involving An Garda Síochána, the Customs Service and the Naval Service, have helped to maximise the effective use of Naval Service resources in combating drug trafficking. The Naval Service, as a member of the Joint Task Force, is also committed to an international initiative, the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics, (MAOC-N). The Centre which was established in 2007 has led to a greater focus on intelligence exchange amongst countries to tackle large drug shipments by sea. MAOC-N was set up by seven European countries and is designed as an international co-ordination force with access to national tasking agencies and requires participation and resources from all active members.An Garda Síochána and the Customs Service have full-time officers based at its Centre in Lisbon. Irish Naval Service personnel travel to the Centre when requested by the Joint Task Force.
The Naval Service operates eight general purpose patrol ships, which are tasked with coastal and offshore patrolling and surveillance for the State.The Naval Service is committed to having at least three vessels on patrol within the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone at any one time.All vessels are multi-tasked in the sense that they also undertake general surveillance, security and other duties while on patrol.As the need arises, Naval Service vessels are deployed on drug interdiction operations. A contract was placed in 2010 for the provision of two new Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) for the Naval Service.The acquisition of these new vessels will ensure that the Naval Service can continue to carry out its drug interdiction role in support of the Joint Task Force as well as its other taskings. The first vessel is scheduled for delivery in early 2014. The second new vessel will follow one year later.
The Air Corps are also involved in efforts to prevent drug trafficking. The Air Corps Maritime Squadron carries out aerial surveillance within the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone using the two CASA maritime patrol aircraft. These CASA aircraft have an important surveillance capability which offers aerial assistance to the Naval Service in patrolling our Irish Exclusive Economic Zone. Both CASA aircraft underwent mid-life upgrades, which were completed in 2008. The upgrades included the fitting of state-of-the-art surveillance and communication equipment. The Air Corps has also, on occasion, carried members of the Customs National Drugs Team in an observational capacity for the purposes of monitoring vessels suspected of smuggling drugs. I am satisfied that both the Air Corps and Naval Service have the necessary resources to meet all their operational requirements including the support of the civil authorities in the prevention of drug smuggling into this country.
Question No. 25 answered with Question No. 17.