Mr. Gerard Guinan:

On the vacancies and abatement as raised by Senator Craughwell, when PDFORRA engaged with the Department last year on the re-enlistment scheme it advocated that returning veterans should be allowed to retain their pension as opposed to it being abated. Ordnance-based workshops in the Curragh are largely populated by civilian employees. Many veterans are specialists such as armourers and artificers. They leave the Defence Forces with a pension. We need their experience and skill set in ordnance-based workshops. If we could re-employ these people and not abate their pensions, it would definitely help the organisation in terms of front-line maintenance for weapons.

On passports, Senator Craughwell is right that we ask these young men and women who are not citizens in this country to travel overseas, wearing the Tricolour on their shoulders. They do not go to nice places; the places are always rough, such as Mali, Syria and Lebanon. These people put themselves in danger for this State. They should be fast-tracked for citizenship and they should not be asked to pay for it. The Senator has raised this issue previously, including with me about a year ago. In fairness to him, he has been fully behind us on the issue. It needs to be done.

On the pandemic and the issue of the Medical Corps, it has done Trojan work over the past year. Medical Corps personnel have swabbed and vaccinated people and they have worked on the front line with the Dublin ambulance service and ambulance crews across the country. To provide a front-line service, the Medical Corps needs more training and additional resources. Deputy Berry is resolved to improve the lot of our medics. He knows the work they do. It is extremely difficult and they have performed to the highest standards that could be expected of them. We would like to see a resumption of normal training with personnel being able to attend courses and being given a little downtime. An enormous burden was placed on the shoulders of a number of people within the Medical Corps. I pay tribute to the director of the Medical Corps and the doctors that our Defence Forces have been able to make that contribution. Deputy Berry will, I know, row in behind in that regard. It is important that these people be looked after into the future and that they be provided with adequate training. They are the people on whom others will depend when out on the field and they suffer a traumatic injury. In that situation, treatment will be provided not by a doctor, but an embedded medic or paramedic and we need to ensure that such people are skilled. I welcome Deputy Berry's views in that regard.

I think I have covered all of the issues raised.