Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 23 November 2017

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence

Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Supplementary)

12:15 pm

Photo of Lisa ChambersLisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I may as well finish my point. The Minister of State spoke a lot about capital investment in those in training, but I make the point this does not immediately address the capabilities of the Defence Forces, because capital is equipment and those in training are not fully trained and, therefore, operational. The Minister has told me there are no difficulties in the Air Corps and that it is fully effective and fully operational. I am just saying to him here today that is not the information I have. I am also getting different information to the Minister on the Naval Service because I am being told it is extremely stretched in terms of personnel. The focus on capital is one thing, but we need people to man the ships.

I am being told they are fairly stretched. The same is true of the Air Corps. It is widely documented. It has been reported in every newspaper that there are huge staff issues in the Air Corps. I am not making it up.

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