John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

He unfortunately had to leave early to go to Order of Business in the Seanad. He had a specific question he put in the chat. He spoke last week during the debate on the Defence (Amendment) Bill in the Seanad and raised with the Minister, Deputy Coveney, the issue of the Reserve and the Permanent Defence Force.

While the Senator is conscious of the funding issues outlined, he believes there is a need to ensure any future recruitment drive for the Reserve or Permanent Defence Force will be carried out across all Thirty-two Counties. Does the general secretary believe that if this approach were taken, it would help to grow recruitment numbers? Major events in the North, such as the agricultural shows and university fairs, in addition to billboards and media advertising, could be used. The advertising is not seen in the North in the same way as in the South, despite the large number of citizens in the North who would be interested in pursuing a role as a member of either the Reserve or Permanent Defence Force. That is a question from Senator Ó Donnghaile.