Written Answers Nos. 32-39
32. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Defence if he will provide details on the recent memorandum of understanding signed by Ireland and the United Kingdom in the area of defence co-operation; the agreement this will involve in practical terms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6882/15]
View answerThe Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) provides a framework for developing and furthering bilateral co-operation and relations between the Department of Defence and the UK Ministry of Defence. The MoU takes into account matters such as military forces training; exercises and military education; exchange of views on EU Common Security and Defence Policy; potential for joint contributions to UN Crisis Management Operations; joint procurement initiatives; pooling and sharing resources; general sharing of reform in defence services; potential for staff exchanges; sharing of information, and joint contribution to Security Sector Reform and capacity building in crisis locations. It envisages cooperation and exchanges involving both civil and military personnel.
The MoU and the associated Action Plan will support the development of a greater mutual understanding of the policy considerations underlying our respective actions and engagement in multilateral arrangements for possible joint contributions to the UN. It provides opportunities for more joint and collaborative work in support of international peace and security. It will also enhance the potential for further joint contributions to UN peacekeeping operations.
The approach to developing the Action Plan has been agreed with the UK and the Action Plan is at a very early stage of development. The proposed Action Plan will contain a detailed programme of bilateral co-operation activities for the forthcoming year and set the objectives for the following two years.
33. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Defence the number of Defence Forces personnel participating in overseas missions; the number of missions, their type and location; and the plans to increase the Permanent Defence Force complement to the agreed strength, so as to ensure that overseas missions are not impacted. [6898/15]
View answerAs of 1 February 2015, Ireland is contributing approximately 432 Defence Forces personnel to 11 missions throughout the world. Full details of all personnel currently serving overseas including the lead organisation for each mission are listed in the tabular statement attached. In addition to the personnel listed in the tabular statement there is one officer deployed to the Embassy of Ireland in Freetown, Sierra Leone under the Emergency Civilian Assistance Team initiative, to assist in Ireland’s Response to the Ebola Crisis in West Africa.
The main overseas missions in which Defence Forces personnel are currently deployed are the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) with 199 personnel, and the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in Syria with 138 Defence Forces personnel.
The current contribution of some 432 personnel to overseas missions reflects the Government’s continued commitment to our responsibilities in the area of international peace and security.
The overall strength ceiling for the Defence Forces has been stabilised by Government at 9,500. The actual serving strength as at 31st December 2014 was 9,275. It is planned that the recruitment of up to an additional 360 personnel, (280 army recruits and 80 Naval Service recruits), to take account of some departures that might arise this year, will take place on a phased basis in 2015 in an effort to keep the number of serving personnel as close as possible to the overall strength ceiling of 9,500.
I remain satisfied that the number serving within the Defence Forces is and will continue to be sufficient to meet all of the demands on the Defence Forces including overseas service requirements.
As of 01 February 2015
|
Numbers Serving within Defence Forces |
||
|
1. |
UN MISSIONS |
|
|
UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) HQ |
9 |
|
|
UNIFIL 47th Infantry Group |
186 |
|
|
UNIFIL Sector West HQ |
4 |
|
|
UNTSO (United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation) Israel and Syria |
13 |
|
|
MINURSO (United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara) |
3 |
|
|
MONUSCO (United Nations Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo) |
4 |
|
|
UNOCI (United Nations Mission in Ivory Coast) |
2 |
|
|
UNDOF (United Nations Disengagement Observer Force) HQ, Golan Heights Syria |
8 |
|
|
UNDOF 46th Infantry Group |
130 |
|
|
TOTAL |
359 |
|
|
UN MANDATED MISSIONS |
|
|
|
EUFOR (EU led Operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina) |
7 |
|
|
EUTM Mali (EU led Training Mission) |
10 |
|
|
KFOR (International Security Presence in Kosovo) HQ |
12 |
|
|
TOTAL NUMBER OF PERSONNEL SERVING WITH UN MISSIONS |
388 |
|
|
2. |
OTHER DEPLOYMENTS |
|
|
RSM (Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan) |
7 |
|
|
UK EBOLA TREATMENT CENTRE (Sierra Leone) |
5 |
|
|
TOTAL NUMBERS OF PERSONNEL OTHER DEPLOYMENTS |
12 |
|
|
3. |
ORGANISATION FOR SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE (OSCE) |
|
|
OSCE Mission to Bosnia & Herzegovina |
2 |
|
|
Staff Officer, High Level Planning Group Vienna |
1 |
|
|
TOTAL NUMBER OF PERSONNEL SERVING OSCE |
3 |
|
|
4. |
EU MILITARY STAFF |
|
|
Brussels |
5 |
|
|
5. |
NORDIC BATTLE GROUP 2015 |
|
|
FHQ Sweden |
14 |
|
|
6. |
MILITARY REPRESENTATIVES/ADVISERS/STAFF |
|
|
Military Adviser, Permanent Mission to UN, New York |
1 |
|
|
Military Adviser Irish delegation to OSCE, Vienna |
1 |
|
|
Military Representative to EU (Brussels) |
4 |
|
|
Liaison Office of Ireland, NATO/PfP (Brussels) |
2 |
|
|
EU OHQ Operation Althea, Mons, Belgium |
1 |
|
|
Irish Liaison Officer to SHAPE & Military Co-Op Division, Mons, Belgium |
1 |
|
|
TOTAL NUMBER OF DEFENCE FORCES PERSONNEL SERVING OVERSEAS |
432 |
34. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Defence his plans and priorities for the future of Columb Barracks in Mullingar, County Westmeath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6893/15]
View answerFollowing the closure of Columb Barracks, Government Departments and other Public Bodies were invited to identify any interest in the property. No such interest was expressed. Consequently a portion of the former barracks has been licensed by my Department to Westmeath GAA Board for use as a training centre. Discussions are at an advanced stage with the Board in relation to the possible lease of a more substantial part of the facility and these discussions are ongoing.
The former barracks is also currently used by An Garda Síochána and the Customs Service for training purposes and these arrangements will remain in place.
Recently a number of other organisations and individuals have also made enquiries/suggestions as to the possible use of the barracks. These include the Irish United Nations Veterans Association (IUNVA) and the Courts Service.
All these possibilities are currently being looked at in the context of an overall plan for the barracks under a long term lease with Westmeath GAA Board. I expect that these arrangements will be finalised over the coming weeks.
35. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Defence his views on extending the Civil Defence operation supporting Dublin City Council’s initiative to assist the homeless to other areas of the country affected by high levels of homelessness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6797/15]
View answerCivil Defence is a statutory volunteer based organisation. Its principal role is to support the Primary Response Agencies, such as the Gardaí and the HSE, in dealing with emergencies. It is also involved in a wide range of community support activities.
Responsibility for the provision of accommodation for homeless persons rests with local authorities. The Deputy will be aware that on the 9th of December last the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Alan Kelly T.D., announced a 20 point Action Plan to tackle emergency and short term homelessness. The initiative in Dublin, supported by Civil Defence, was just one of a series of measures aimed at rapidly increasing the number of beds available for homeless people in the capital.
Since the 12th December last, Dublin Civil Defence with the assistance of Civil Defence Volunteers from other counties, have been operating a temporary hostel at their premises at Wolfe Tone Quay. This provides overnight accommodation for up to 20 people. This facility also operated from January to March of last year, in support of the City Council’s initiative to alleviate homelessness in the capital. Professional carers on contract to the City Council assist with the management of the homeless persons at the facility. On Wednesday of last week Minister of State at my Department, Mr. Paul Kehoe, T.D., had the pleasure of visiting the temporary hostel to thank the Civil Defence Volunteers for their efforts on behalf of the Government and to meet with some of the homeless persons using the facilities there.
We must also be mindful of the other demands on Civil Defence. For example, in recent weeks Civil Defence Volunteers have assisted the Gardaí in ten different searches for missing people including in your own county of Tipperary. Civil Defence volunteers also make themselves available, if required, to assist in dealing with flooding and the effects of severe weather. Thankfully this has been much less of an issue this year compared to the early part of 2014 when Civil Defence Volunteers were called out repeatedly to assist local authorities in dealing with the effects of severe weather.
While Civil Defence is always willing to assist the community, homelessness by its nature is a complex issue and there are other agencies and groups, both statutory and voluntary, who specialise in dealing with the homeless.
I can assure the Deputy that, under the Action Plan announced by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Mr. Alan Kelly, T.D., which involves all of the relevant agencies, the issue of homelessness in other areas of the country outside of Dublin will be comprehensively addressed.
36. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Defence if there have been discussions between his Department and the Departments of Justice and Equality and Foreign Affairs and Trade regarding the presence of foreign military aircraft in Irish territory, and the possible transportation of weapons and other lethal war materials in view of comments by the United States of America on the civil war in Ukraine; his plans for a more active role for personnel of the Irish Defence Forces in these matters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6880/15]
View answerPrimary responsibility for the regulation of activity by foreign military aircraft in Ireland rests with the Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade in accordance with the Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order 1952.
There is ongoing liaison between my Department and the Department of Justice and Equality regarding security matters generally. This includes such matters as the Defence Forces deployments to Shannon Airport that occur in response to Aid to the Civil Power requests for support from An Garda Síochána who have primary responsibility for the protection of the internal security of the State.
I understand from my colleague the Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade, that arrangements under which permission is granted for foreign military aircraft to land at Irish airports are governed by strict conditions. These include stipulations that the aircraft must be unarmed, carry no arms, ammunition or explosives and must not engage in intelligence gathering, and that the flights in question must not form part of military exercises or operations. Requests to permit the landing of foreign military aircraft are considered by the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade on the basis of these conditions. Permission is not granted for the conduct of foreign military operations in Irish airspace.
I am satisfied with existing arrangements and I have no plans to recommend a more active role for the Defence Forces.
37. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Defence if he will provide an update on the White Paper on Defence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6801/15]
View answerWork is continuing on the development of a new White Paper on Defence. Working groups comprising civil and military representatives from the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces are considering likely future operational demands and the defence capabilities required to meet these demands. This work will inform recommendations regarding future defence provision.
A key part of the development of the White Paper is the consideration of the security environment and challenges that may emerge into the future. As recent events have highlighted, the security environment can be volatile and unpredictable.
In the course of their deliberations, the Working Groups are taking into consideration the inputs received from a wide variety of stakeholders. Discussions have also been held with a range of other Government Departments on cross-cutting policy issues and likely future demands from Government bodies and State agencies. This includes the views of international organisations which have been sought, with a particular focus on likely future trends in international peace support operations.
Defence policy is a critical aspect of Government policy and I am determined to ensure that the new White Paper fully addresses the Defence response to future security challenges and associated resource requirements in a comprehensive way.
I have decided to establish an external Advisory Group to further support me in the production of the White Paper. I have appointed Mr. John Minihan to act as chairman to the Group. Ms. Marie Cross, Mr. Frank Lynch and Mr. Karl Croke have also agreed to join the Group.
I anticipate that the final draft of the White Paper will be submitted to Government for approval by the end of July. Subject to Government approval, the White Paper on Defence will then be published.
38. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Defence the number of personnel of the Defence Forces based at Custume Barracks in Athlone, County Roscommon; the number of these personnel whose parent unit is not located in Athlone; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6796/15]
View answerThe total strength of personnel in Custume Barracks at 31st January 2015 was 1,006. Of this figure 940 personnel were in appointments associated with the units stationed in Custume Barracks and 66 personnel were attached to Custume Barracks while on courses of training, including recruit training.
In addition to this figure Defence Forces personnel are, from time to time also temporarily assigned to Custume Barracks for specific military assignments or operations. The Defence Forces do not disclose the number of personnel on operations such as these as a matter of operational security.
39. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of persons awarded a back to education allowance in the years 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7165/15]
View answerThe back to education allowance scheme is an administrative scheme and is payable to persons who are already in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment. I am informed that there were 25,032, 25,700, 25,886, 24,996 and 23,366 persons participating on the back to education allowance at the end of December in each of the years 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively.
