Vol. 577 No. 3
159 Mr. S. Power asked the Minister for Defence the number of members of the Defence Forces who will be serving on overseas missions during Christmas 2003; the total number of missions involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31232/03]
A total of 669 Defence Forces personnel are serving overseas, full details of which are listed in the following statement. With the final phase of the deployment of Defence Forces personnel to the United Nations Mission in Liberia, UNMIL, being completed on 17 December 2003, it is expected that approximately 847 personnel will be serving overseas during Christmas 2003.
Members of the Permanent Defence Force serving Overseas as of 15 December 2003
1. UN Missions: (i) UNIFIL, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon: seven; (ii) UNTSO, United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation, Israel, Syria and Lebanon: 14; (iii) UNFICYP, United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus: six; (iv) MINURSO, United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, four; (v) UNMIK, United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, three (vi) UNMISET, United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor, one; (vii) MONUC, United Nations Mission in Democratic Republic of the Congo, two: (viii) MINUCI, United Nations Mission in Ivory Coast, two; (ix) UNMIL, United Nations Mission in Liberia, 306, making a total of 345.
UN Mandated Missions: (ix) SFOR, Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina SFOR HQ Sarajevo. 12 (x) KFOR, International Security Presence in Kosovo, 261; (xi) ISAF, International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, seven; the total number of personnel serving with UN missions is 625.
2. EU Mission, European Union Monitor Mission, EUMM, to the former Yugoslavia, 14;
3. Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE: OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, one: (ii) OSCE Mission in Croatia, one: OSCE Mission in Kosovo, one; (iv) OSCE Presence in Albania, one: (v) OSCE Mission in FRY, one; (vi) OSCE Mission in Macedonia, one; OSCE Mission in Georgia, three; Staff Officer, Higher Level Planning Group, Vienna, one. The total number of personnel serving with OSCE is ten.
4. Head of Military Staff, Brussels, one.
5. EU Military Staff, Brussels, six.
6. Liaison Office of Ireland, PfP, Brussels two.
7. Permanent Representative to EU, Brussels six.
8. Military Representatives-Advisers: military adviser, Permanent Mission to UN, New York, one. (ii) military adviser, Irish Delegation to OSCE, Vienna, one; (iii) military representative to Partnership Co-ordination Cell-Supreme, one Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, SHAPE,, Mons, Belgium, Military Adviser to EU Special Representative in Former Yugoslav , one.
9. Appointments, UN HQ, New York, Officer Seconded to DPKO, Department of Peace Keeping Operations, one. The total number of Defence Forces personnel serving overseas is 669.
