Denis Naughten
Question:26. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Defence his plans to expand the role of the Air Corps air ambulance service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46639/13]
View answerAir Ambulance Service Provision
Questions (26)
Written answers
In 2005, the Department of Defence and the Department of Health completed a Service Level Agreement (SLA) which formalised arrangements for the provision of an inter-hospital air ambulance service by the Air Corps. This SLA was renewed in October, 2011. There has been a substantial increase in the use of this service with 108 missions being completed in 2012 compared with 78 in 2011 and 69 in 2010. This year, there have been 87 missions completed up to 31st October last. In addition to the inter-hospital SLA, a twelve-month pilot Emergency Aeromedical Support (EAS) service, supported by the Air Corps, commenced operating out of Custume Barracks, Athlone on 4th June last year. This service was established by agreement between my Department and the Department of Health in order to assess the level and type, if any, of dedicated emergency aeromedical support needed to assist the National Ambulance Service, primarily in the west of Ireland, for certain types of patient, particularly in light of the requirements of the HSE Clinical Care Programmes such as Acute Coronary Syndrome and Stroke.
Following a review of the pilot service carried out by an inter agency Audit and Evaluation Group established under the agreement, a Report was submitted for consideration by my colleague, the Minister for Health. Following a request from the Minister for Health, I have agreed to extend the Air Corps' participation in the pilot in order to allow the Minister an opportunity to give consideration to the Report and to examine the options for the implementation of its recommendations.
There are no plans to expand the role of the Air Corps in the provision of Air Ambulance services.
EU Battlegroups
Questions (27)
Seán Ó Fearghaíl
Question:27. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Defence his plans for the Defence Forces to participate in any EU Battlegroups in the near future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46842/13]
View answerWritten answers
Ireland has previously participated in the Nordic Battlegroup in 2008 and 2011 and in a German led EU Battlegroup in 2012. The other members of the Nordic Battlegroup were Sweden, acting as Framework Nation, Finland, Norway and Estonia and Croatia (2011 only). The members of the German led EU Battlegroup were Germany, acting as Framework Nation, Austria, the Czech Republic, Croatia and Macedonia. Subject to formal Government approval, Ireland will participate in the Nordic Battlegroup in 2015 and the German led Battlegroup in 2016. The Nordic Battlegroup will comprise Sweden, acting as Framework Nation, Finland, Norway, Estonia and possibly Lithuania and Latvia. The German led Battlegroup will comprise Germany, acting as Framework Nation, Luxembourg, Austria, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. The proposed Defence Forces contribution to each Battlegroup will be a Reconnaissance Company and related combat support elements. It is proposed that Ireland will also take command of a multinational Reconnaissance Group Headquarters, providing Ireland with a more significant role within these battlegroups.
Defence Forces Deployment
Questions (28)
Seán Ó Fearghaíl
Question:28. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Defence his views on whether the triple lock has served the State well; his views on the fact that Ireland’s contribution to international peacekeeping is not constrained in any significant way by it; his further views that a UN mandate is vital if a peacekeeping mission is to be effective in achieving its goals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46840/13]
View answerWritten answers
The statutory authority for the despatch of contingents of the Permanent Defence Force for service overseas as part of an International Force, is set out in Section 2 of the Defence (Amendment)(No. 2) Act, 1960 as amended by the Defence (Amendment) Act, 2006. This provision is commonly referred to as the "triple lock". However, personnel may be deployed for training, for humanitarian operations and for other such reasons under the authority of the Government in accordance with the provisions of the Defence (Amendment) Act, 2006, which formalised arrangements in this regard.
The White Paper on Defence, which was published in 2000, has provided the policy framework for Defence for the past thirteen years. In the period since its publication there have been significant changes in the defence and security environment and the defence policy framework has continued to evolve. In this context, the Government decided that there is a requirement to prepare a new White Paper on Defence. This will provide the policy framework for Defence for the next decade.
A Green Paper on Defence, which was published in July of this year, initiated a broad public consultative process, which provided for members of the public and interest groups to input their views as part of the process of developing the new White Paper on Defence. In this context the Green Paper engendered discussion on all relevant matters including the "triple lock".
The requirement for a UN resolution as part of the "triple lock" reflects the central importance of the UN in granting legitimacy to peace support and crisis management missions. At the same time, it also constitutes a self imposed, legal constraint on the State's sovereignty in making decisions about the use of its armed forces. This could prevent the State from participating in a peace support operation. In 2003, the EU led peace support mission EUFOR Concordia in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, was welcomed in UN resolution 1371 in terms that did not conform to the requirements of the Defence Acts at that time. Accordingly, Ireland could not participate in the mission.
The benefits of a formal legislative requirement for UN authorisation must be weighed against the possibility that this constraint may lead to an inability to act on occasions where there is a pressing moral or security imperative and overwhelming international support to do so, but where UN sanction is not forthcoming, in circumstances where a veto is exercised by a permanent member of the Security Council acting in its own national interests.
It is acknowledged that there is substantial public support for the triple lock mechanism and that, in practical terms, due to the size of our Defence Forces, the State only has a limited capacity to contribute to UN Missions. In real terms Ireland has, in the context of its size, punched above its weight and made a valuable, disproportionate contribution and, save for the example of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, has not been excluded from peace keeping engagements by the triple lock. On balance, the advantages of retaining the mechanism can be seen as outweighing the disadvantages. Having said that, it is an issue worthy of discussion in advance of the adoption of a new White Paper.
Question No. 29 answered with Question No. 17.
Question No. 30 answered with Question No. 8.
Child Abduction
Questions (31)
Joan Collins
Question:31. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the action he has taken to return a person (details supplied) from Egypt to Ireland. [47292/13]
View answerWritten answers
The person referred to by the Deputy first came to the attention of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2009 when his family contacted the Consular Assistance Section. My Department has been providing consular assistance through our Embassy in Egypt and the Consular Assistance Section in Dublin. Cases of this nature are complicated by the fact that Egypt is not a signatory to the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction, which provides a legal framework for resolving international child abduction cases.
I wish to advise the Deputy that this case has been raised with the Egyptian authorities at the highest levels on a number of occasions. In February 2010 former Minister Micheál Martin raised this case with the Foreign Minister during a visit to Cairo. I discussed the case with the Egyptian Foreign Minister at the United National General Assembly in September 2011 and I raised the case when I met with the Egyptian Foreign Minister in February 2012. The Embassy in Cairo is in contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt and our Consular Assistance Section continues to liaise directly with the family on a regular basis.
Let me assure you that the Consular Section will remain in contact with the family and, with the Embassy of Ireland in Cairo, will continue to provide all possible consular assistance to this family. However, it should be noted that the Irish Government cannot force the Egyptian Government or the abducting parent to return a child to Ireland.
Officials in my Department are in contact with the Department of Justice, Equality and Defence, which is the lead Department for the negotiation of bilateral agreements on child abduction.
Departmental Staff Redeployment
Questions (32)
Lucinda Creighton
Question:32. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide details of the severance settlements and pension arrangements for the local staff not diplomatically accredited to the Irish Embassy to the Holy See when it was closed; the total number of local staff not diplomatically accredited to the Irish Embassy to the Holy See at the time of its closure; the length of time each local staff member not diplomatically accredited to the Irish Embassy to the Holy See had worked at the Embassy at the time of its closure; the number of the local staff that were redeployed or where attempts were made by his Department to redeploy them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47344/13]
View answerWritten answers
Four locally recruited staff were employed at the Embassy of Ireland to the Holy See with length of service ranging from 1 to 18 years. One of the locally recruited staff was employed on a part time temporary contract which expired at the end of December 2011, and one member of cleaning staff, whose services were no longer required, was made redundant as a result of the closure of this mission. The other two full time staff were offered alternative positions under new contracts at the Embassy to Italy to fill vacancies arising naturally there, and of these, one chose not to avail of this offer. Severance payments totalling €25,394.23 were paid to the staff concerned in accordance with Italian law.
Former members of local staff at the Embassy to the Holy See may be considered, when they reach age 65, for retirement benefits in accordance with the provisions of the Non-Contributory Pension Scheme for Non-Established State Employees. The severance payments made to the local staff following the closure of the Embassy and any pension benefits payable to the local staff from the Italian authorities may be taken into account by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform when determining any pension payments under the Non-Contributory Pension Scheme for Non-Established State Employees.