Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 November 2015
68. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Defence the number of Defence Forces personnel currently on overseas missions; if there have been any new requests to participate in new missions or to contribute further to existing missions; how long it is expected that the Naval Service will continue to be deployed in the Mediterranean; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41396/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe question addresses the issue of Irish personnel serving overseas and seeks to establish whether the Minister is considering requests for any new missions or to extend existing missions. I refer in particular to the work of the LE Samuel Beckett and LE Eithne in the Mediterranean and whether it is considered appropriate to continue their life-saving actions after Christmas.
As of 1 November, Ireland has contributed 429 Defence Forces personnel to 12 different missions throughout the world. The main overseas missions in which Irish Defence Forces personnel are deployed are the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, which comprises 192 personnel, and UNDOF in Syria, with 150 personnel. The Naval Service humanitarian service mission in the Mediterranean comprises 60 personnel.
The previously mentioned training mission in Mali comprises ten personnel. I had the privilege of visiting them around St. Patrick's Day this year and stayed in the hotel that, unfortunately, was the subject of an attack a few days ago. Their professionalism and the contribution they are making towards stability in the country is impressive.
In terms of the Mediterranean mission, I understand the LE Samuel Beckett will come home, probably between 14 to 17 December. We will not immediately send another ship to replace it. However, I anticipate we will send another ship early in the spring, perhaps towards the end of February or March, but we want to have a period of assessment of the mission. We have sent three ships in a row to the Mediterranean and nearly 9,000 people have been rescued. I expect many rescues will also be needed next year. I hope whoever is in government will be in a position to send an Irish navel vessel to the Mediterranean again to work with the Italians on a bilateral basis to continue that humanitarian work, something which has won us many friends in the Mediterranean but, more importantly, has saved many lives and has proven the capacity of the Naval Service within the overall Defence Forces to be able to undertake complex missions abroad.
I expect there will be another mission next year. There will be a reflection period of six to eight weeks to determine how we can improve the mission and we will talk to our colleagues in Italy. At the previous Council meeting, the Italian Minister specifically asked me to ensure the Naval Service stays in the Mediterranean. I reassured her that we would certainly consider that and I would discuss the issue with the Government early next year.
I salute all of the personnel involved in the particular initiative to which the Minister referred. I also salute the Minister for the very constructive role he has played. In the intervening period between our departure from the Mediterranean and our likely return, what sort of arrangements will be in place? It is to be presumed the flow of people will continue. What sort of engagement has the Minister had with our European counterparts to ensure some sort of alternative arrangements are put in place?
I had a very interesting meeting last week with representatives from Médecins Sans Frontières, which is very much part of the humanitarian mission in the Mediterranean and is doing a fantastic job as an NGO. The numbers have reduced quite significantly in recent weeks. The LE Niamh, which was in the Mediterranean before the LE Samuel Beckett which is currently there, rescued about 4,500 people. Unfortunately, there was also a lot of tragedy during the same period in terms of people who drowned.
The numbers will not be anything as high for the LE Samuel Beckett, although the situation is still very challenging as the Mediterranean is now much rougher because of the time of year. As a result of that, the information we have received is that the numbers have fallen quite dramatically. If anyone is in any doubt as to the extraordinary challenge we face in terms of refugees and migration generally, they should know that the last time I examined the figures on the numbers of people who crossed the Mediterranean, I found that the number for this year alone is 780,000.
Another 800,000 people are on the beaches of Libya. There will be a major job to be done again next year simply to save people's lives, and Ireland will be involved in this. If there is to be a break period of eight weeks to reassess the mission, the best time to do it is probably towards the end of December and the month of January, when we are likely to have fewer people and families attempting to cross the Mediterranean.
The famine developing in Ethiopia will augment the outpouring of people from the African Continent. To turn to the more contentious issue of Mali, if the Minister envisages coming before us with a triple lock proposal on increasing the number of personnel who might be deployed on this mission, does he see the nature of the mission itself changing? I understand that at present we provide military training and advice to the Malian armed forces. If there were to be a new mission, would it simply be an intensification of what is under way or would it be radically different from what is proposed? What detailed risk assessment will the Minister undertake in light of the attack on the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako?
The Deputy is right, as the mission in which we are involved at present is a training mission, but there are multiple missions in Mali. There is a bilateral mission with a series of African countries in the Sahel region, in which France is involved. There is also a European mission and a UN mission. Prior to the attacks in Paris, we had completed a piece of reconnaissance work on Mali generally. As to whether we could look at a relatively minor increase in our presence there to do more and to share the resources and knowledge we have, the reconnaissance we did will be very useful to measure what we could do within the acceptable risk parameters of peacekeeping. It is important to remind people that none of our peacekeeping operations are in easy zones. The reason peacekeepers are needed is because these are difficult conflict areas which need our help, and Mali is no different. I assure the Deputy we will not send Irish troops anywhere without the appropriate assessments, and there will be no knee-jerk reactions to anything.
