Mr. Derek Priestley:

The specialised instructors allowance was brought in at a time when the organisation had done some reflection on incentivising and encouraging the best and brightest NCOs and officers to run the training for new inductees. There was a trial run by what we called the implementation monitoring group. The group reviewed the culture of the Defence Forces and identified a need to improve and standardise training, set standards and incentivise the best and brightest to come in and train. An allowance was paid based on additional qualifications that young officers and non-commissioned officers had and it reflected the number of hours done as well. These are residential courses that instructors had to do for an 18-month cadetship or a six-month recruit training period. The allowance was identified as part of a review of allowances in the Defence Forces back in the days when the financial emergency measures in the public interest were a growing concern. It was effectively removed. It was identified as being no longer required and was removed for officers only. At the time we had in the region of 40 to 50 officers in receipt of it across the Defence Forces. The cuts were brought in as a saving measure. It was only removed for officers. The officers in receipt of it at the time had the allowance bought out. It is important to point out that the allowance remained for NCOs and continued to be paid to them throughout all the cuts. PDFORRA had agreed to a different way of implementing savings and the method pursued achieved the savings required. Some of the allowances they had decided on relating to new entrant pay have now been reversed. We have identified this allowance that was paid to a cohort of the hardest working individuals in the Defence Forces. We sought it back under the reversal of the various cuts, but to no avail.

It is an allowance paid to all three services, the Naval Service, the Air Corps and the Army and to the hardest working group. We believe it should be restored as part of the unwinding of the FEMPI measures and as part of the restoration of pay and allowances across the public sector.

We have identified the need for this allowance. We spoke about morale earlier. This would be a major morale booster and a real force multiplier. It is very much an indication that we appreciate the people who are working hardest in the Defence Forces. Hence, we would like to see the specialised instructors allowance for officers. I wish to emphasise the point that it was not bought out. It was bought out for a specific group of members who at that time were there to save money. That need or imperative has now gone. That is as much as I would say about that.