Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy referred to some of the gaps in overseas deployments. I have asked the Chief of Staff to provide me with an analysis of where the gaps lie. As I have stated on numerous occasions, before the Government makes a decision on any overseas mission, it must ensure that the Defence Forces have the capability and capacity to participate. The Chief of Staff has not informed me that the Defence Forces are unable to participate in any mission. Of course, people are often required to go on back-to-back overseas missions. They might have had to go on missions because they were ordered to do so. That is the nature of the work they commit to doing when they join the Defence Forces.

I know of cases where people who have been unable to go on missions for personal or other reasons have been accommodated. The Defence Forces military management has not told me that it is unable to participate in mission "X" for some reason. I have not been told that.

When the Finns pulled out of UNIFIL, I had a conversation with my officials and military management about whether we would be able to backfill for 12 months. I was told we would be able to do so for not more than 12 months. We will do that from November 2018 to November 2019. As I stated to Deputy Ó Snodaigh, my officials and I had conversations with other contributing countries that participate in UN missions about whether they would be interested in participating in UNIFIL alongside the Irish. Poland has decided that it will do so and will join us in November. Some Polish military officials have visited Ireland and met members of the Defence Forces on the operations side. My officials have spoken to Polish officials on the civil side as well and that conversation will continue. All going well, Poland will join us in November 2019.

Our capability to fulfil our international obligations was mentioned. We are able to fulfil our international obligations. If we are unable to participate in a mission, it is up to military management to inform me about that. What I do not want is for us to participate in a mission for which we do not have the resources or personnel. If we do not have the resources or personnel, I want to know about it because then we will not participate. It is as simple as that. I will not put any Irish personnel in harm's way if we do not have the capability, capacity or personnel to carry out that mission.

I have stated on numerous occasions that I face challenges with retention. We almost have full employment and since God was a boy, recruitment and retention have been issues for the Defence Forces in times of full employment. The same issue arises elsewhere. My European colleagues have told me that they face the same issues regarding recruitment and retention. Holding on to personnel is a significant challenge for them because so many other opportunities are available. Regarding attracting young people into the Defence Forces, it is very easy to say the issue is one of pay. Pay is one element but young people now have so many opportunities that the Defence Forces are not as attractive a prospect as they were ten, 15, 20 or 30 years ago. That is the nature of the period in which we live. Hopefully, that will change over time.

As to whether I can confirm that we will have no delays in return flights, I will be honest with the committee and say I cannot do so. However, I have spoken to the Chief of Staff to ensure we do not announce definitive dates for return flights. Previously, we said personnel would return from an overseas deployment on the first day of a particular month. I do not want to say they will return on the first day of the month if it transpires that they do not come back until the seventh or eighth day of the month. I would rather say they will return around a certain date until everything is fully confirmed but, unfortunately, on the most recent rotation or the previous one, the personnel were ready to leave the camp but were told that there was an issue regarding border crossings or some reason. That is the way it goes. I spoke to the Lebanese minister for defence and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This is something we do not want to see happening. We want to sort out these issues and get our personnel back home. We understand the frustration of people stranded over there who expect to come back and the families over here who expect them to come back. However, families who phone me also understand the position. They have contacted me directly. Once one explains to them, they understand the situation fully. They understand the nature of the game we are in. Someone joining the Defence Forces is not going into some ordinary nine-to-five job. He or she is not just going from A to B and going out and coming back at particular times. Unfortunately, life does not work out like that in any army anywhere in the world. Since we returned to Camp Faouar, it has complicated the rotation process because personnel have to transit through Syria and Lebanon. I think people will accept that we are dealing with a very difficult part of the world.

There are challenges involving instructors in the Defence Forces. I have noted that and we are trying to address that problem through the gap analysis. I do not want us saying that we were able to do A, B, C, D and E if we are unable to do them. If we are unable to do something, we should say it. Whether it is providing aid to the civil power or civil authority or something else, we will continue to do what we are able to do. The most important issue in respect of military management asking members of the Defence Forces to do a particular job is the safety of the personnel. That is paramount to me, the Department and military management. We participate when we are able to do so and we do not participate when we are unable to do so. It should not be a case of saying that the Government says that the Defence Forces must go to a particular place. The Government does not do that. It will only ask whether we can carry out that mission. If we cannot do it, I want to know about it.

It has been said that people are being flogged to go overseas. Nobody is being flogged to go overseas. People volunteer to go overseas. There are people who are detailed to go overseas. I want to address that issue. If there is a specific reason they cannot go overseas, there are options available. Was there anything else?