Written Answers Nos. 1134-1151
1134. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the progress made on investigations into the Belturbet bombing of 1972 which caused the deaths of two young persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38814/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe bombing at Belturbet on 28 December 1972 was a senseless act of violence in which two young people tragically and needlessly lost their lives.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that a thorough investigation into the bombing was carried out at the time by the local Gardaí. They were assisted in this by experts from Garda Headquarters and from the Army. The Garda authorities have indicated to me that the investigation would have been conducted in accordance with normal procedures in place at that time and that there was also liaison with the authorities in Northern Ireland. Although every avenue of enquiry was pursued at the time, there was, however, no evidence to allow the perpetrators of this atrocity to be brought before the Courts.
I am further informed by the Garda authorities that the investigation into these murders remains open and should any new evidence emerge from any source, it will be actively pursued by An Garda Síochána.
1135. Deputy John Lyons asked the Minister for Defence which are the banks that currently avail of Army escorts for delivering cash to their bank branches; if he will advise who pays the Army for this service: if he will detail the number of incidents which have occurred during such escorts in the past three years and who is liable for such incidents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37397/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraPrimary responsibility for security matters rests with An Garda Síochána. The Defence Forces, pursuant to their role in rendering Aid to the Civil Power, provide armed escorts for certain cash movements within the State when requested to do so by An Garda Síochána. An agreement that was signed with the Irish Banking Federation and its member banks in 2005, and subsequently renewed in 2011, provides that the Irish Banking Federation will pay the Department of Defence the total actual costs incurred in the provision of this service.
Operational details in relation to any aspect of these cash escorts cannot be disclosed for security reasons. The agreement with the Irish Banking Federation stipulates that the Department of Defence is not liable in respect of any potential loss of funds should an incident occur.
1136. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Defence if the LÉ Emer of the Irish Naval Service will conduct a farewell tour in advance of her decommissioning later this year; the counties and ports she will visit; if she will visit County Wicklow prior to her decommissioning date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36915/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraL.É. Emer will complete her final patrol mission on 20 September next, following which she will be decommissioned and sold. There are no plans for a farewell tour.
1137. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Defence the number of submissions his Department received on the publication of the White Paper on Defence in the late 1990s and 2000; when the first publication of such a paper in the history of the State occurred; if he will provide a full list of the persons and organisations from whom these submissions came; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36931/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe White Paper on Defence was published in February 2000. The drafting of the Defence White Paper was informed by a public consultation process which offered members of the public and other interested parties an opportunity to submit their views. A total of 46 submissions were received as part of that consultation process. A list of the organisations and persons who made submissions to the White Paper consultation process is set out as follows:
Aviation Ireland
Chief Fire Officers’ Association
Civil Defence Officers’ Association
County and City Managers’ Association
Defence Studies Group
Department of Finance
Fassaroe Sporting Club
General Council of County Councils
GOAL
Green Party
Institute of Engineers of Ireland
Irish Medical Organisation
Maritime Institute of Ireland
Nautical Institute
Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association (PDFORRA)
Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO)
Reserve Defence Force Representative Association (RDFRA)
Tralee Urban District Council
Workers Party
Mr. Michael J. Baynes
Mr. Noel Bourke
Col. S. B. Condon (Retired)
Mr. Andrew Convery
Mr. Edmund Cooney
Mr. Noel Coughlan
Mr. Hugh Crawford
Mr. Jim Desmond
Mr. Paddy Donnelly
Col. E. Doyle (Retired)
Mr. Brian Gillen
Mr. Gerard Humphries BL and Mr. Ciaran Craven BL
CS J. Kearns
Professor Patrick Keatinge
Comdt. S. Kielty
Lt. Brendan J. McDonald
Mr. John McGinley
Lt. Cdr. Mark Mellett
Comdt. J. Moriarty
Major General M.J. Murphy (Retired)
Mr. David J. Murnaghan
Sgt. Ger O’Connor
Col. John F. O’Connor (Retired)
Mr. Caoimhin O’Donnchu
Col. T. O’Neill (Retired)
Mr. John Rochford, Mr. Michael Sheehan and Mr. Chris Flynn
Comdt. Alan Woolhead
1138. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Defence if he will provide in tabular form all of the ranks and levels in all areas in his Department and in the Defence Forces that require Government approval for promotions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37036/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraGovernment approval is required for promotion to the following Department of Defence position:
|
Office Held |
|
|
Secretary General |
Government approval is required for promotion to the following Defence Forces positions:
|
Office Held |
Rank |
|
Chief of Staff |
Lieutenant-General |
|
Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations) |
Major-General |
|
Deputy Chief of Staff (Support) |
Major-General |
Under the provisions of the Defence Acts 1954-2011 an appointment to the office of the Chief of Staff is made by the President.
In addition to the aforementioned posts, under the provisions of the Defence Acts 1954-2011 the Government appoints an officer of the Permanent Defence Force to be the Director of Military Prosecutions. The Defence Acts 1954-2011 also provide that the President may appoint, on the advice of the Government, one or more than one, qualified officer of the Permanent Defence Force to be a military judge.
1139. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Defence the details of the recent appointment by the United Nations Secretary General of a member of the Irish Defence Forces to lead the UN Truce Supervision Organization; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37405/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) was established in May 1948 by UN Security Council resolution 50 (1948) to assist the United Nations Mediator and the Truce Commission in supervising the observance of the truce in Palestine. Since then, UNTSO has performed various tasks entrusted to it by the Security Council, including the supervision of the General Armistice Agreements of 1949 between Israel and its Arab neighbours; the observation of the ceasefire in the Suez Canal area and the Golan Heights following the Arab-Israeli war of June 1967; and the assistance to the UN Interim Force in South Lebanon to fulfil its mandate. Ireland has participated in UNTSO since 18 December 1958.
In response to a request from the United Nations in April 2013, Ireland nominated Major General Michael Finn for the post of Head of Mission and Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation. Ireland’s nomination was successful and the United Nations appointed Major General Finn to the post with effect from 01 July 2013 for an initial contract period of one year. Currently, apart from Major General Finn, there are twelve (12) Irish officers serving with the UNTSO mission. Major General Finn brings to his new position extensive command and peacekeeping experience attained through service at the national and international levels. He has served overseas in Lebanon, the Golan Heights in Syria and in Kosovo.
Our involvement in peace support missions has greatly enhanced the professional capacity and capability of the Defence Forces. This has, in turn, increased our value to the United Nations. The appointment of Irish officers, such as, Major General Finn, Brigadier General Patrick Phelan as Deputy Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and Brigadier General Gerald Aherne, as Mission Commander of the EU mission for the training of Somali Security Forces, is another indication of the high regard in which Irish personnel are held internationally.
1140. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Defence the parameters of the discussions held with ministerial colleagues at the informal meeting of Ministers for Defence in Vilnius, Lithuania on 5 and 6 September 2013; if he will detail any agreements reached; if he will provide an update on matters discussed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37414/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe informal meeting of EU Ministers for Defence took place in Vilnius, Lithuania on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 September 2013. The meeting was chaired by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Baroness Catherine Ashton and hosted by the Lithuanian Minister of National Defence Mr. Juozas Olekas. NATO Secretary General Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen joined the meeting for some working sessions. Preparations for the European Council thematic discussion on security and defence on 19-20 December 2013 dominated discussions throughout the meeting. The informal Defence Ministerial meeting is not a decision-making forum, but rather provides an opportunity for Defence Ministers to discuss current issues and review ongoing progress on Common Security and Defence Policy developments. As the meeting coincided with the Jewish Holy Day, Rosh Hashanah, I was not in a position to attend and was represented by the Secretary General of the Department of Defence, Mr. Michael Howard. The forthcoming Council meeting of Heads of State and Government was a priority issue during Ireland's recent Presidency of the Council of European Union. It was discussed at a number of high level meetings, including the Defence Ministerial which I chaired in Dublin on behalf of the High Representative. I also hosted a seminar on this very topic. This issue will be further discussed at the formal Defence Ministerial scheduled to take place in November at which I expect to attend.
The last time European Heads of State or Government held a discussion on defence matters was five years ago. The Vilnius meeting discussed two documents published in July as part of the preparations for the December meeting: the High Representative’s Interim Report on Common Security and Defence Policy and the European Commission’s Communiqué “Towards a more competitive and efficient defence and security sector”.
On Thursday evening, during the first working session, Ministers discussed the High Representative’s Interim Report on Common Security and Defence Policy and had an exchange of views. The focus was on identifying the main deliverables for the discussion at the level of Heads of State and Government in December, as well as on a possible way forward. On the basis of the discussion, a final report will be submitted to the President of the European Council, Mr. Herman Van Rompuy at the end of September. This report, together with the European Commission’s Communiqué, will feed into the report to be prepared by President Van Rompuy for the European Council.
During the working dinner, delegations discussed the latest developments in Syria and the response of the European Union to the situation there. The Operation and Mission Commanders of the four ongoing EU military missions briefed delegations on the current state of play regarding their missions. These are Operation ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Operation EUNAVFOR ATALANTA the EU’s anti-piracy maritime mission off the coast of Somalia; and the EU Training Missions in Mali and Somalia (EUTM Mali and EUTM Somalia).
On Friday morning, during the second working session, the European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, Mr. Michel Barnier, briefed delegates on the European Commission Communiqué on the defence and security sector and they had an exchange of views on the document.
1141. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Defence the total cost of all media advertising to his Department for each of the past five years; the efforts his Department is making to ensure that local media, both print and radio, are being supported as well as national media by his Department's budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37475/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy is outlined in the table.
|
Year |
Amount |
|
Up to 31 August 2013 |
€51,095 |
|
2012 |
€59,164 |
|
2011 |
€62,965 |
|
2010 |
€47,585 |
|
2009 |
€86,789 |
This expenditure includes the costs of newspaper/magazine advertisements on recruitment, on public information notices such as property transactions and warning notices in respect of military training exercises, and advertising the annual military ceremony in commemoration of the 1916 Easter Rising. I am satisfied that the expenditure incurred on both local and national media advertising is carried out in accordance with procurement policy and represents value for money. I remain committed to an overall policy of reducing costs and maximising efficiency and effectiveness in respect of all media advertising undertaken by my Department.
1142. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Defence if he will provide a list of all bodies, boards or committees under the remit of his Department to which ministerial appointments are made; the statutory provision providing for the making of such appointments in each case; the annual allowances or other payments made to the chairperson; the annual allowance or other payment made to an ordinary member; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37490/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra1143. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Defence if he will provide a list of the boards, bodies or committees under the remit of his Department where there is currently a vacancy to be filled by ministerial appointment; if so, if the vacancy relates to the chairperson or an ordinary member or members, specifying the number of vacancies in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37505/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra1144. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Defence if he will provide a list of the bodies, boards or committees under the remit of his Department where there is anticipated to be a vacancy within the next six months to be filled by ministerial appointment; if so, if the anticipated vacancy relates to the chairperson or an ordinary member or members, specifying the number of anticipated vacancies in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37520/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1142 to 1144, inclusive, together.
The only body under the aegis of my Department is the Army Pensions Board. The Army Pensions Board is an independent statutory body established under the Army Pensions Act, 1927. The Act specifies that the Board shall consist of a chairman and two ordinary members. The two ordinary members must be qualified medical practitioners of whom one must be an officer of the Army Medical Corps. The chairman and the non-military ordinary member are appointed by the Minister for Defence with the concurrence of the Minister for Finance. The chairperson and the civilian doctor are entitled to annual fees of €7,618 and €5,079 respectively. The Army Medical Corps ordinary member is appointed by the Minister for Defence on the recommendation of the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces.
The civilian doctor retired at the end of June 2013. Expressions of interest in the position of civilian doctor to the Army Pensions Board were invited by way of advertisement on the Department’s website and the Public Appointments Service website. Applications for the post are currently under consideration.
I do not anticipate any further vacancies on the Army Pensions Board in the next 6 months.
1145. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Defence if he will detail by name, location and cost the number of capital projects funded by his Department for each of the past five years to date in tabular form in an area (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37958/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is engaged on an ongoing building programme designed to modernise and enhance the training, operational and accommodation facilities available to members of the Defence Forces. Over the last five years, the number of projects funded from the Capital programme, in the three areas of Kinsale, Bandon and Clonakilty, County Cork, was “Nil”.
1146. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Defence if he received correspondence from a person (details supplied) in County Galway regarding the Joyce and Doherty killings in South Lebanon in May 1981; on foot of this correspondence the action he proposes to take; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38254/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe correspondence received relates to the tragic killing of Private Doherty and the disappearance of Private Joyce in April 1981 while serving with the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon. My Department has received previous correspondence from the person in question and the most recent correspondence is being dealt with in conjunction with the previous correspondence. A response will issue shortly to the person in question following a detailed examination of the most recent material received.
1147. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Defence the steps his Department intends to take to ensure semi-State bodies and other organisations and bodies under the remit of his Department advertise vacant positions through the Public Appointments Service and publicjobs.ie in a clear and transparent manner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39251/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraRecruitment to the Defence Forces is managed directly by my Department and is carried out by way of competitive process consisting of advertising in national newspapers, on the Defence Forces website www.military.ie, and through social media. In addition, there is a link to the Defence Forces website from the Public Appointments Service website. The only body under the aegis of my Department is the Army Pensions Board.
The Army Pensions Board is an independent statutory body established under the Army Pensions Act, 1927. The Act specifies that the Board shall consist of a chairman and two ordinary members. The two ordinary members must be qualified medical practitioners of whom one must be an officer of the Army Medical Corps. The chairman and the non-military ordinary member are appointed by the Minister for Defence with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The Army Medical Corps ordinary member is appointed by the Minister for Defence on the recommendation of the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces.
Expressions of interest for the position of civilian doctor to the Army Pensions Board were recently invited by way of advertisement on the Department’s website and the Public Appointments Service website in line with new procedures introduced for appointments to State boards.
I am satisfied that all vacant positions are advertised in a clear and transparent manner and by the most appropriate means.
1148. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Defence the full year saving to the Exchequer if the pay of all commercial semi-State CEOs under the aegis of his Department was reduced by 10%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39260/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra1149. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Defence the full year saving to the Exchequer if the salaries of the CEOs of all non-commercial State-sponsored bodies under the aegis of his Department were reduced by 10%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39269/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra1150. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Defence the full year saving to the Exchequer if board members' fees of all State agency, non-commercial State sponsored bodies and commercial semi-State companies under the aegis of his Department were reduced by 25%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39279/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1148 to 1150, inclusive, together.
The only body under the aegis of my Department is the Army Pensions Board.
The Army Pensions Board is an independent statutory body established under the Army Pensions Act, 1927. The Act specifies that the Board shall consist of a chairman and two ordinary members. The two ordinary members must be qualified medical practitioners of whom one must be an officer of the Army Medical Corps. The chairman and the non-military ordinary member are appointed by the Minister for Defence with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The Army Medical Corps ordinary member is appointed by the Minister for Defence on the recommendation of the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces. The chairperson and the civilian doctor are entitled to annual fees of €7,618 and €5,079 respectively.
The annual savings to the Exchequer if the annual fees paid to members of the Army Pensions Board were cut by 25% would be €3,174.25.
The Army Pensions Board does not have a CEO.
1151. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding the hiring of contract researchers (details supplied). [37200/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is strongly committed to providing funding for targeted research in the agri-food and forestry sector through its three competitive funding programmes - FIRM, Stimulus and CoFoRD. The research funded is generally in the form of applied or pre-commercial projects over a 3 to 5 year period and is undertaken, often collaboratively, by research performing organisations such as the universities, institutes of technology and Teagasc. Awards totalling €32 million were made to fifty five research projects in 2012.
The funding provided by my Department covers a number of expense categories including staff comprising Masters and PhD students and staff recruited on contract to undertake work commensurate with the type of research involved.
One of the key aims of my Department’s research programmes is to develop research capability in the Irish public research system that contributes to underpinning the sustainability and competitiveness of the sector thereby helping to achieve the ambitious growth targets which the food industry has set itself under the Food Harvest 2020 plan. The staffing element of the funding provided through these programmes is, therefore, focused on the training and development of early stage researchers in order to build a pool of expert scientists capable of taking up highly skilled positions in the public sector and, more importantly, in large and small indigenous and multinational food and Bioeconomy-based businesses based here in Ireland. The decision of the Kerry Group to invest €100 million in locating its Global Technology and Innovation Centre in Naas was a very welcome development and is an example of the type of knowledge and science based direction being taken by some of our food companies. This facility will have an on-going requirement for highly skilled food scientists and is a glowing example of why we need to continue to invest in the training and development of staff through programmes such as FIRM.
The recruitment of staff and issues around staff employment contracts is the responsibility of the institutions involved. Those institutions have a responsibility to comply with Government policy on remuneration, public service numbers and employment law.
