John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have two final comments. One relates to the Naval Service. Commandant King said that there are nine ships but barely an establishment for six, so it is therefore set up to fail. Will he elaborate on those comments and on the recent recruitment attempts? I know the Minister joined one of the ships recently as part of a recruitment programme. How does Commandant King feel those recruitment attempts might go without addressing the more substantive issues in the Naval Service and Defence Forces?

My last question relates to the management of facilities. Commandant King made a point about the failure to replace civilian tradespeople as they retire and how it has severely curtailed the maintenance and upkeep of our facilities. Will he give a broader picture? How many tradespeople have retired without being replaced? What impact is that having within the Defence Forces, barracks and so on across the State?