Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests from RACO. I share the view that it is disturbing if we have a crisis of retention in the Army. It is a great difficulty. The Army is one of the great institutions of our State which we are loyal to and proud of. It has measured up to domestic crises as they have arisen down through the years and has done us proud in international service and peacekeeping. It is not enough that we acknowledge that. We have to deal with the practical difficulties that exist. I presume it is officer level retention that we are discussing today. My understanding was that a number of allowances had been restored a few years ago. I thought that the October pay agreement had resulted in some progress in 2020. I take the point around pay. I hope that the commission deals with it. Commandant King might elaborate on the pay issue and clarify if the crisis is specifically at officer level or throughout the Army. It is disturbing if the Army is out of kilter with restorations of pay in other areas. We need to be mindful of that. It is an issue that the Commission on the Defence Forces would need to address.

I am interested in knowing the areas to which the officers who leave are going. I am aware of the exit survey. It is disturbing that 30% would not recommend a career in the Army. Commandant King might elaborate on where people are going and if it is an economic pull, career options, etc., or if it is all about pay and lifestyle? What are the factors at play in the pull away from the Army? In terms of the Celtic tiger pull from the Army that might have existed in the past, in a post-Covid world it might take some to develop again. That said, the commission needs to carefully analyse why people are leaving prematurely and why they are not recommending the service.

It is disturbing that the working time directive is not being implemented. One would assume that that is a reform that could readily be achieved. There is no national economic imperative that could be argued there. That would seem to be blatantly discriminatory. It is an internal issue. Commandant King might elaborate on the fault lines in that regard and what can be done.

On the question of time-off, surely time-off for Amy personnel should not be different from time off for other public servants. There should no difficulty in that regard. Efforts should be made to accommodate personnel in terms of time-off.

It is disturbing that Commandant King spoke about problems with regard to the quality of accommodation. He might also elaborate on that issue. The commandant's statement that the Naval Service is set up to fail is a real issue. Am I correct that he said there is no replacement of civilian tradespeople when they leave, or is there a percentage replacement? What is the issue there? We need to restore the morale of our Army. We need an Army in which there is a level of contentment, pride and happiness among personnel. It is in that regard this meeting and the outcome of it will be important.

I am a strong supporter of our Army. Many Army personnel live in Cootehill, Cavan town and other areas of Cavan. They have been great members of those communities and a positive force in the social and cultural life of those communities and in every aspect of society. The issue today is internal conditions. I look forward to hearing Commandant King's responses.