Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I think the Chairman's support for the Reserve Defence Force can be in no doubt. He has spoken on many occasions about its value in light of his own experience. I have agreed with him on all of those occasions.

As members of the committee will be aware, I served with the Reserve Defence Force for about 13 years. Mr. Richardson and I trained and served together over many years, so I have first-hand experience of what the organisation can bring to a community and an individual. There is no doubt that the RDF helped to shape the person I am today. It played a huge part in my development as a young person from when I joined, through college and into my 20s. Perhaps the Defence Forces and the Department do not fully appreciate the social value of the Reserve Defence Force, as well as the community value it brings. I attended the official closing of my barracks and the removal of the Permanent Defence Force unit there. We now retain a small outpost, which is only a shadow of the former facility in the centre of Castlebar. It represents a huge loss to the community. In addition, it highlights the disadvantages for people in that area because they do not have access to the military as much as they had previously.

The voluntary nature of the organisation and the spirit of volunteerism represented by the RDF is lost on many citizens. That was outlined very eloquently by Mr. Richardson, including the many hours of service given by reservists of their own free will without any remuneration. Very often it is undertaken at a big personal cost to themselves, not just in terms of foregoing wages or salaries for their training period, but also in having to purchase their own equipment. I have had personal experience of going on numerous training courses when I was not properly equipped by the Defence Forces to attend such courses. I was obliged, therefore, to purchase my own equipment, including a pair of tactical boots because I was not provided with any. I was expected to go on the ground for two or three nights in barrack boots, which are unsuitable and present a health and safety issue. They are not proper protective equipment for the individual going on such an exercise. Reservists will return from manoeuvres with foot problems as a result. The only option open to me was to purchase my own tactical boots. I was fortunate to be able to do so, but many reservists cannot afford it. That situation is totally unacceptable.

Similarly, the lack of warm clothing was also mentioned. The clothing provided to reservists is totally inadequate for colder temperatures. There is also a real issue concerning the pooling of personal equipment. I have put on a helmet which was worn God knows how many times and was probably never cleaned. We just got on with it, but it is not acceptable. It certainly presents a health issue for Reserve Defence Force members who have to don clothing that is neither clean nor fit for purpose. The Minister can certainly address all these issues in the immediate future, and he must answer for the relevant resourcing and funding.

If I am going on too long, I would have no difficulty in stepping out and coming back in at a later stage. I have a number of questions to ask, but before doing so I wish to reiterate my unwavering support for the Reserve Defence Force. I recognise the campaign under way to diminish the capacity of the reserves, and the Department's unwillingness to step up to the plate by adequately assisting with recruitment. I scoff at the idea that somehow we are having difficulties in recruiting people. That is not the problem. Thousands of people have applied to join our Reserve Defence Force but only a small fraction have been inducted.

Last year, fewer than 100 of more than 5,000 applicants were inducted. The problem lies not with the Reserve Defence Force but with the Department and senior ranking members in the organisation who are actively placing obstacles in the way of the induction and recruitment of new members. This issue has been ongoing for many years. I have raised it with the Minister in the Dáil several times through parliamentary questions and in this committee but nothing has been done. The Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe, suggested that the problem was somehow that the organisation was experiencing a difficulty in attracting talent. That is far from the case, as has been made clear to him on several occasions. He is failing miserably to address this issue properly.

I ask Mr. Richardson to discuss in greater detail the issue of Reserve Defence Force pay because many aspects of pay are not clear and it would be of benefit to the joint committee to learn more about it. The White Paper on Defence published in August 2015 included a commitment to seek the views and comments of the Reserve Defence Forces Representative Association, RDFRA, on all matters concerning the implementation of the White Paper. Has the RDFRA been contacted to elicit its views or comments on any aspect of the implementation of the White Paper pertaining to the RDF? I am also interested in hearing the RDFRA's views on issues arising in implementing the White Paper and how the single force structure has been working since its introduction.

I would also appreciate if the witnesses would offer a view on the reasons for the under-utilisation of training man days last year. What difficulties are preventing those currently enlisted from taking up training man days? How could the joint committee better support and retain serving members of the Reserve Defence Force? While retention is also an issue for the Permanent Defence Force, the reasons for retention difficulties may be slightly different with the Reserve Defence Force.

What issues arise with regard to security clearance requirements? While I have a fairly good idea as to what they are, I ask the witnesses to outline what they know in this regard. I have submitted questions to the Departments of Justice and Equality and Defence on this matter. For the information of the committee, I was initially informed by the Department of Defence that problems with security clearance arose at the Garda stage. When I tabled a question to the Minister for Justice and Equality asking how long it took for security clearance applications to be processed by the Garda, I was informed that it took approximately six weeks, although it can take up to 12. Given that people have been waiting for more than a year for security clearance, it seems the problem lies with the Department of Defence rather than the Department of Department of Justice and Equality.

I am aware that RDFRA has requested additional funding from the Department. Will it provide an update on that matter? I wrote to the Minister in respect of it because I was aware that the RDFRA was experiencing difficulties obtaining a reply.

The issue of personal protective equipment, about which I intended to ask some questions, has been largely covered. I am interested in hearing the RDFRA's views on the establishment of a specialist reserve. I am pleased, therefore, that Mr. Richardson noted the vast experience, expertise and knowledge available within the Reserve Defence Force. We have slightly more than 2,000 Reserve Defence Force members. It is extraordinary that we are not using the wide range of skills this group of people, who come from a variety of professions and trades, has to offer. I ask Mr. Richardson to outline his views on the specialist reserve and the establishment of same.