Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

When the State is in crisis due to fires, floods and weather outrages, the State relies on the Defence Forces. They are front-line workers many of whom are involved in the roll out of the vaccine and so on. The rest of that cohort is comprised of 6,500 personnel, which is a fairly small group but they are a key component for dealing with crisis situations.

When do we expect to see them involved? Mr. Reid might not have an answer here today. In talking about any cohort or group, that is certainly one we should be looking at as a whole. God knows what we are facing in the future, and it is one of those important groups that is badly paid.