Mr. Martin Cooney:

Yes. The system has been put in place and in the first year there is a reduced requirement because reorganisation had to take place. The start date was 1 April for the new units. In the first year personnel will be required to do 32 hours of unpaid training, one week of full-time training and four hours of experiential training, which is further unpaid training. I do not know what is the difference between this experiential training and the other 32 hours of unpaid training. It seems one can be called in at any time for any reason. In the second year the requirement will be to do 48 hours with eight hours experiential training. The third year requirement will be to do 48 hours with 12 hours experiential training. If one is told to come in on a Monday and Tuesday to complete 12 hours experiential training and one physically cannot do so because of work, a sick child or a lack of annual leave, one cannot meet one's requirement. If the system is inflexible and cannot be used in consultation with the reservist he or she cannot meet the requirements.

The biggest cost attached to the reserve was the Permanent Defence Force administering it. The loss of the Permanent Defence Force to the reserve will be huge. Those personnel had significant experience of us and understood how we worked. They understood the restrictions on us on a daily basis. We will now be put in a Permanent Defence Force unit of full-time professional soldiers, many of whom have never had experience of the reserve. They do not understand the restrictions on us, and they are being asked to do this in addition to their other duties. We are being imposed upon them and they will not get anything extra for it. They do not know us or our capabilities. After the value for money review I am surprised I can breathe unassisted but this is what they see. It is a loss for everyone.