Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman and the Minister of State for attending.

I acknowledge the work the Defence Forces are doing overseas. I welcome the Minister of State's contribution in that regard, but why did he ignore the elephant in the room in his initial remarks? Questions by Deputy Tony McLoughlin on pay, conditions and retention were not mentioned once in the Minister of State's initial contribution. These matters comprise the main crisis facing the Defence Forces in terms of the effect on capability and capacity. What was the reason for ignoring these issues?