Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The number of pension accounts since 2013 has increased. This is probably indicative of the fact that we are losing people at an alarming rate. This has been discussed at previous meetings. I note the efforts of the Department and the RDF to increase recruitment. There are still a number of problems. It is not progressing at the rate it should be.

In terms of man-days allocated, while there are an initial seven days of paid training and up to a further 28 days of paid training for each reservist upon application by his or her unit, the lack of flexibility in those man-days is a difficulty. There may be individuals in the unit who are able to give more than 28 days. In the spirit of volunteerism, I do not see the difficulty with that. During my time in the RDF, it was a lot easier to do additional man-days if one had the ability to volunteer more of one's time, whether that was because one had lost a job, was unemployed, in college or for any other reason. At certain times during their lives, people have more time to give to the organisation and that should be welcomed. However, there is no flexibility. When a unit is assigned a certain number of man-days, it often hands back almost half of them because those that are able to give active service that year use up their man-days and they are unable to access any more. A little change like that would make a big difference. The estimated spend on the RDF for 2016 was €2.1 million. We only actually spent €1.5 million. The money is there. We are really short on bodies. It is difficult to run a training camp or a course if people cannot attend. If we provided more flexibility in respect of man-days so that those that are able to give more time are allowed to give more time and units can allocate those man-days more freely, it would go a long way towards addressing some of the problems within the individual units. That one small change would have a massive impact.

A number of years ago reservists received what was called a gratuity payment. It was not big money. In the region of €600 was paid to each reservist around Christmas time if he or she had completed his or her two weeks of annual training that year. Not every reservist would qualify. When a reservist goes on a training camp or a course for a week or two he or she is taking time out of his or her civilian employment. Therefore, his or her salary or wages are down or he or she is taking a week's holidays. Reservists' pay is then taxed quite heavily. People at the rank of sergeant or higher come out with maybe €200 after a week's training. These people pay for fuel to get to and from the location. They often purchase their own equipment. We know the difficulties in terms of personal protective equipment, PPE. A lot of reservists purchase their own boots, their own warm gear and their own wet gear. The gratuity payment at the end of the year meant reservists bore the cost of the training camp earlier in the year. Volunteering should not be so costly. It now costs people to be a member of the RDF. The gratuity payment is small money in terms of defence spending but it was a thank you payment for the effort put in by those who had done the required training and service during the year. Again, this would be a minor change for small money. It is raised time and time again by every reservist that I talk to. The State showing their appreciation for the volunteerism displayed by members of the RDF would mean a lot to them.

I join with the Minister of State, the Department, the Defence Forces and the committee in offering my deepest sympathies to the families of Dara Fitzpatrick, Mark Duffy, Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith. It is an absolute tragedy. I appreciate that the rescue and search efforts are still ongoing. I wholeheartedly commend the efforts of every organisation taking part in the search. It is fantastic and amazing to see the different agencies working together using their expertise and the available equipment to make the best effort we can as a State. It is important to note the efforts of locals in the Erris region. Local fishermen have been on site conducting the search efforts as best they can and local people have been providing food, warm drinks and assistance in whatever way they can. It has been an amazing community effort in that area. As a representative from County Mayo, I know it has hit the community there very hard. It will leave a lasting mark on our community.

In the briefing documents supplied, it is noted that the operational flight hours of the Air Corps in 2014 were 5,009. In 2016 they dropped to 4,286. Why have they been reduced? I doubt there is a need to reduce the hours. Is it down to a lack of resources and capabilities? In light of recent reports which confirm the inadequate resourcing of Defence Forces units, such as those involving pilots and air traffic controllers, what measures is the Department taking to resolve the manpower shortages being experienced by the Air Corps? This is not something that has been discovered in the past few weeks. The issue of resourcing and manpower shortages in the Air Corps has been known for quite some time. It must be addressed with absolute urgency.

I wish to address the issue of the health concerns of those who were in contact with hazardous material a number of years ago. Has the Minister of State had an opportunity to consider whether it might be prudent for the Department and the State to conduct a health review of those that feel they were affected and may possibly have experienced adverse health effects due to their contact with hazardous chemicals? This was done in Australia when a similar situation occurred there. An appropriate health package could be put in place for affected individuals.

I have asked the question previously, but I would like to get an update from the Minister of State and the Department as to whether the potential impact of Brexit in terms of defence policy and our Defence Forces has been analysed? What are the Department's preparations for Brexit?

I am sure the Minister of State has been contacted, as have many of us, by those involved in the Jadotville siege and their families. There is huge unhappiness and disappointment at the manner in which the issue of the service medals was dealt with. Would the Minister of State seek the establishment, under the Defence Forces regulations, of a board of military officers to review the recommendations made in the original 2004 review of the events at Jadotville? Perhaps they reached the right conclusion. It is not for me to decide or judge. I can tell the Minister of State that I have been inundated with representations on this issue. I do not see the difficulty in looking back at the decision taken in 2004 and assessing whether the right call was made. If not, we can address that. It would be in the interests of the citizens of the State, those that served during that time and their family members. There is no shame in saying that the wrong call was made. Perhaps it was not. I do not see the difficulty in looking back to see if we did the right thing.