Mr. Martin Cooney:

I should like to address Deputy Ó Fearghaíl's second point in regard to personnel and the large numbers of unemployed persons. We would be delighted to take in large numbers of personnel into the Reserve Defence Forces to train them and to expand the size of the Reserve Defence Forces. In recent years we have been choked as a result of the restrictions on recruiting and promotion. We have been choked of new lifeblood with an aging force. It is a matter of great disappointment to us that we have not been able to offer the many young people who are unemployed and without direction something to do in the meantime. Studies show that in times of recession and economic hardship, recruitment into such organisations is higher than at other times. I call on Mr. Eoin Colgan from the Naval Service Reserve as it has an integrated approach with the Naval Service and has a large number of operational outputs. That the Reserve is starved of a source of new recruits is having a huge impact on its ability.