Gabrielle McFadden (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. I am delighted to hear first hand the situation they are in. I was one of only two Oireachtas members who attended the symposium in Farmleigh in 2015, and I was very enthusiastic about the White Paper myself, as everybody was. There was much discussion about talking up the Defence Forces over the next ten years, and that included, as far as I was concerned, the Defence Force Reserve, so I am very disappointed to hear how the witnesses' feel. At the time I considered the White Paper very much pro-Reserve.

I know, coming from Athlone where there is a barracks, the benefits that accrue to the community. We had difficulties with flooding last year, and the volunteerism that we had was very important to us. That is fantastic for a community, but the personal benefits that accrue to the Reserve members themselves are second to none. People who come out of the Reserve, and those who stay in it, have discipline and structure in their lives, and it is very beneficial. That in turn comes back into the community as a benefit.

Mr. Gargan spoke about the end of gratuity and the normal Reserve pay. I would like to hear more about those. Is there a possibility that that could be standardised as part of a payroll run with the Permanent Defence Forces so that it is dependable? A mortgage provider will not accept being told that someone might get paid in a couple of weeks time. Is there a way that pay can be standardised for the Reserve members and included in a payroll run with the Permanent Defence Forces members?

Deputy McLoughlin asked what kind of funding the Reserve gets and what kind of administrative support exists. If there were three things that the committee could do to help the Reserve members today what would they be?

I thank Mr. Gargan and his members for their service to the State. It does not go unnoticed by us. We are all aware of the wonderful work the Reserve does, and we are grateful for it.