Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality last year had the opportunity to visit the Naval College in Cork, under the stewardship of the Flag Officer, Commodore Mark Mellett. We were mightily impressed with his vision and ambition for the Naval Service. One of the areas that was particularly impressive was that of innovation, where the Naval Service is working with academia and indigenous Irish companies to develop products, using its practical experience in areas like diving and training. I ask the Minister to comment on whether there is potential for profits to be made in that area which could be invested back into the Naval Service. It is a really good news story that we need to champion whenever we get the opportunity. We were mightily impressed with Commodore Mellett.

I wish to ask about the Reserve Defence Forces. The representative association of the RDF made a presentation to our committee in which it demonstrated some practical ways to save money. It has significant concerns about the future. The Minister has made the point previously that people within various organisations are afraid of change and that is a valid point. However, the points made by the representatives of the RDF were legitimate and we asked that the transcript of their presentation be sent on to the Minister for his consideration. If he has not done so already, will the Minister give an undertaking to meet them in a constructive way and to listen to them? Decisions have already been made on foot of the value-for-money report. The Minister has accepted the recommendations of that report and is initiating change but there may be a possibility of finding a mid-way point on the issues with which they are concerned. Opportunities could exist in that regard and I ask for the Minister's thoughts on that matter.