Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I understand that since the reorganisation of the Defence Forces nationally, the regulations that govern the operations of the Reserve Defence Force have not been amended. The representative association is anxious that when the Department is preparing to amend the regulations it be involved and consulted about the changes.

On the Naval Service Reserve, apparently there is a serious problem with the eye sight standards required to be met to become a member. The standards are higher than those required to join as a permanent member of the Naval Service. Will the Minister of State have somebody look again at the eye sight standards required to be met?

The Minister of State may recall that when he was before the committee two years ago, we discussed recruitment to the Reserve Defence Force. He outlined the difficulties experienced in getting people to join it. We discussed the suggestion of using the institutes of further education and other third level colleges as potential sources of recruits. I was told that one of the advertisements for the recruitment of personnel for the force was during the month of August last year. Most of us know that the vast majority of colleges and educational establishments are closed in August, as well as the months on either side of August. Will the Minister of State ensure the next recruitment drive will take place at a time of the year when colleges are open, not when students are on holidays?

Another issue Deputy Seán Barrett and his colleagues have highlighted is the direction defence policy in Europe is taking. It ties in with the issue of Brexit. In the report to which Deputy Jack Chambers referred, the document which the Minister of State's MEP colleagues brought out, Commissioner Mogherini is quoted as saying: "More progress has been made on intensifying EU defence cooperation in the last year, than was achieved in the last 10 years put together. Big developments are potentially on the horizon." That type of statement by a very senior member of the Commission has to be worrying for us. Perhaps the Minister of State might give us some idea of the sense he has gathered from his colleagues in the Council of Ministers on the Commission's reflection papers? He will recall that when the Commission's reflection paper was published almost a year ago, it included three options for consideration: first, security and defence co-operation; second, shared security and defence; and, third, common defence and security. We would all have to have concerns that the latter, common defence and security, seems to be the one Mr. Juncker and his colleagues in the Commission, some elected Members of the European Parliament and some Ministers are pushing. It is not the policy the overwhelming majority of the people want.