Liam Kavanagh
Ceist:12 Mr. Kavanagh asked the Minister for Defence if he will outline the number of our Defence Forces who are serving on the UN peacekeeping forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - UN Peacekeeping Forces.
Current participation by members of the Permanent Defence Force in United Nations missions is as follows: UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon), 754; ONUSAL (United Nations Observer Group in El Salvador), 4; UNTSO (United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation), 20; UNFICYP (United Nations Force in Cyprus), 8; UNIKOM (United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observer Mission), 7; UNMOGIP (United Nations Military Observer Group India-Pakistan), 1; OSGAP (Office of the Secretary-General Afghanistan-Pakistan), 1; UNAVEM (United Nations Angola Verification Mission), 15; MINURSO (United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara), 6; UNAMIC (United Nations Advance Mission in Cambodia), 2 and UNPROFOR (United Nations Protection Force in Yugoslavia), 4. This gives a total of 822.
I thank the Minister for his comprehensive reply. Is he satisfied that sufficient personnel from all ranks and all specialities will be trained, because obviously some of those people are specially trained? Is he satisfied that enough personnel are available in this country to fulfil our own as well as our international obligations or has he plans to recruit more?
I am satisfied and, as the House knows, very few people have been leaving the Defence Forces in recent times. This helps to keep up the strength.
In view of the Minister's reply in which he stated there are just four observers in Yugoslavia, can he tell the House if the United Nations have approached the Government in relation to sending a battalion to Yugoslavia? Would the Minister agree, in view of the European element of the Yugoslavian situation and the particular relevance it has to the European Community that it would be most appropriate for us to consider sending a battalion to Yugoslavia at this stage?
I have no information about a request for a battalion. The Deputy is talking about European Community involvement in Yugoslavia whereas what I read out in reply to the question, as requested, was United Nations involvement.
Would the Minister not agree that it would be appropriate for us as a member of the European Community to involve ourselves in UN activity at a greater level than the four concerned? Would he consider that this is something we should examine at this stage with a view to participating and sending a battalion? Would he not further agree that if we were to do this it would give him an opportunity to recruit more personnel into the Army and thus increase the present number quite substantially? It would appear that the Yugoslavian involvement could be for a number of years; the repayments would eventually come back from the UN and it would be an overall benefit to the Irish Government.
The question before us is essentially statistical and relates to the number of Defence Forces personnel serving abroad and matters of policy ought not to arise at this stage. They are separate matters.
I am in the hands of the Chair.
I would like to ask the Minister if any progress has been made on negotiations with An Post regarding postal services to our troops serving abroad?
I am afraid the Deputy will have to put down a separate question on that matter.
You are muzzling us.
In respect of numbers——
The question specifically asks for numbers.
In respect of numbers, may I ask the Minister if he could advise on the current position regarding repayments to this country from the United Nations for the personnel we make available?
That is a separate question. I am proceeding to Question No. 13.
A Cheann Comhairle, if I may——
I have intimated that this is essentially a statistical question and that matters of policy ought not, therefore, to arise. I hope that is understood.
I completed my question and I would respectfully submit to you, Sir, that whether or not we are being paid it would have an impact in terms of numbers.
Perhaps I might get the information in a later question but if not I will get the information for the Deputy. I can give it off the top of my head but I do not want to do so. One gets cagey as one gets older.
In his reply the Minister stated that the numbers in the Army are adequate to cover essential duties at home but will he consider the position in relation to the involvement of troops in the Border counties?
That is distinctly a separate matter.