Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief. The question is about pension payments and payments to the Defence Forces. At the end of last year we saw many protests about the pay and pensions of Defence Forces personnel. The Minister of State said in his opening statement that he is trying to get extra funding for that so I presume he is not satisfied that the pensions of retired Army personnel are adequate. Does he anticipate being successful in that? It appears to be a big issue among the retired Army personnel. How do the pensions compare with those in other areas of the public sector, for example, the Garda Síochána, local authorities and the hospitals? Are they way down the line in that regard or does the Minister of State have such a comparison?