THIRTY-four soldiers serving in Chad have been repatriated for either medical reasons or on compassionate grounds since February 2008.


The Sunday Tribune has learned that almost €65,000 has been spent on scheduled flights to bring ill or bereaved troops back to Ireland.


Fourteen were repatriated on medical grounds while a further 19 were brought home on compassionate grounds, either unable to cope in the desert or because of other personal issues.


One other person was returned home on an involuntary basis after a determination that it was in the "best interests" of the army to bring the soldier back to Ireland.


The Defence Forces said that costs of the flights involved were high because of the "degree of urgency" involved in many cases.


Direct flights to Ireland are not available and the soldiers have to be flown home via Paris. A statement from the Defence Forces said: "A medical repatriation applies when a patient is medically ass­essed as being unlikely to be fit for full duties within 30 days; when he/she requires very serious and lengthy treatment which is not available in the mission area or where a patient requires special treatment in a national medical institution.


"Repatriation on compassionate grounds may be approved in the event of death or serious injury/illness of a spouse, child or other immediate family member."


The Defence Forces said troops could also be returned home in special cases where "it is determined that it is in the best interests of the service that an individual be repatriated".


The repatriation details, released under the Freedom of Information Act, were not broken down by gender as requested, despite concerns raised by military sources that more than half of the 34 who came home were female.


An explanatory note said: "The Defence Forces is an equal opportunity employer and therefore does not distinguish between genders."


It said that 1,425 personnel had so far served on the mission in Chad and that future repatriations would be paid for by the United Nations, which has – since March – taken over operational control of the mission.