Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have a couple of follow-up questions. The Minister of State did not answer my question about the health review and the hazardous materials at Casement Aerodrome.

In terms of the gratuity payment, there is no fear of losing the voluntary ethos. This payment was always there. It was only taken away when the country hit crisis point and we had to save money. As somebody who has served in the Reserve, I can tell the Minister that it is quite an expensive thing to do. It costs money to be a member. People are paying for equipment and taking time off work. The gratuity payment just balanced it out. Restoring it would not affect the volunteerism. The issue is coming up all the time. No one is in the Reserve for the money - I guarantee the Minister that. It is a minor amount of money which people would only get if they did their two weeks' training. They have taken the financial hit with their two weeks' training; they have taken time off work, lost their wages and are getting taxed heavily. When I was in the Reserve in the early days, the payment used to come at the end of the training period. Then it changed and people got it at the end of the year. That did not make a huge amount of difference, and people were fine about getting it at the end of the year. It helped balance out the cost of being in the organisation.

In terms of the man days, all I am suggesting is that many days are being handed back and there are people who would take them on. I am not suggesting the Minister gives a serving member - man or woman - the ability to do six months in the Reserve Defence Force and make a career out of it. A period of 28 days is quite restrictive. If someone does a two week training course such as a career course, as a corporal or sergeant, and then wants to do the two weeks' annual training in the summer, they cannot then do the Easter or winter camp. It is just the basic weeks of training. It is difficult for any unit, particularly in rural communities, to get the numbers to turn up. People have different things going on in their lives. When we have people active and willing to give the extra time, it is very difficult to run a camp if only five people turn up and there are others sitting at home who would love to go and cannot. A bit of flexibility is needed. I ask the Minister to increase the 28 days by adding an extra two or three weeks. That is not a huge amount but it would allow units to use the man days that they have.

The Minister has asked us to give him recommendations. From my own personal experience and from talking to people in the organisation, I have given him two very practical solutions that I think would make a huge difference. The Minister could try them for a year and see the difference they make. I am trying to be helpful.