Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In the context of the Chief of Staff's replies, I do not wish to be repetitive, but a number of important issues were raised earlier, not least by Deputy Brady when he said at the outset of the meeting that we, as members of a parliamentary committee, are firmly of the view that morale in the Defence Forces is low. That is obviously a priority of Lieutenant General Clancy's tenure and a priority of the Government. In the context of recruitment, having regard to the fact that there are competitiveness issues in respect of the private sector, and having regard to the fact that we interviewed members of the Defence Forces who were strongly of the view that they would have a more secure and attractive future in another army in another jurisdiction, in his opening statement, the Chief of Staff spoke about the need for a competitive edge. In the context of Lieutenant General Clancy's replies to earlier questions, does he have confidence that the Defence Forces will be in a position to turn matters around, having regard to the issue of morale, striking at the fundamentals of service in our Defence Forces? How would you see yourself setting about that task, working with the Department of Defence and the Tánaiste, and having regard to the fact that the objective is similar, that is, to ensure a heightening of morale within the Defence Forces?

I ask Lieutenant General Clancy, to revisit briefly an issue referred to by Deputy Lawless, that is, capacity and an ability to monitor the undersea telecommunications network. Its importance has always been in evidence but the urgency to be in a position to protect our waters is obviously heightened now, in the context of the changed circumstances in Europe. We see what happened to undersea cables off the coast of Taiwan, for example, with particular reference to China. We have seen numerous incidents over the past 18 months in the Baltic Sea, with particular reference to the current conflict in Ukraine. Perhaps he could enlighten us as to how he sees himself managing, having regard to the fact that a sum of money which was long overdue has now been made available in the context of the purchase of new equipment. What element of planning or contingency planning has he in place to ensure the protection of our waters, with particular reference to the undersea telecommunications network serving not only Ireland but also the United Kingdom and, in many respects, mainland Europe?

I thank the Chief of Staff and give him the floor.