[Oireachtas] Dail Eireann debate. Written answer 124 - Air Corps [55156/17] [Drug testing]. (16 Jan 2018)
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124. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the dates since 2000 of mandatory drugs testing carried out at the Air Corps, Casement Aerodrome; and the initials of surnames tested on each occasion. [55156/17]
Minister of State at the Department of Defence (Deputy Paul Kehoe): The unique and challenging nature of military service requires that military personnel are free from the presence or influence of any controlled drug or substance. The Defence Forces conduct Compulsory Random Drug Testing of all employees with approximately 10% of Defence Forces personnel tested annually.
Such testing was introduced within the Defence Forces in 2002. The military authorities have informed me that collection of statistical data on the number of personnel tested in Casement Aerodrome did not commence until 2007.
The numbers tested, by year, in Casement Aerodrome are set out in the following table. For data protection and privacy purposes, the initials of personnel tested are not being released.
Year |
Number Tested (AC) |
2007 |
166 |
2008 |
0 |
2009 |
130 |
2010 |
9 |
2011 |
0 |
2012 |
43 |
2013 |
44 |
2014 |
113 |
2015 |
221 |
2016 |
48 |
2017 |
87 |
Total |
861 |
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