Mr. Eugene Gargan:

It was on 11 May. It is indicative, and there are other indications as well. For example, people refer to the size of the Defence Forces as approximately 9,500, but that is not the size of the Defence Forces. That is the size of the PDF. It is indicative of the fact that people completely forget about us. We are not in the minds of the people we deal with, the people who are superior within the Department or the general staff. If they are not thinking about us, how can we expect them to make positive decisions that will affect our welfare and future? That is why we raise it. It is not to have a shot at any individual at all. It is just indicative. If you were to ask for an example of how we know that we are not being prioritised, these are the examples.

We have been flagging issues such as R5 document and the working time directive for years. We have not had any meaningful or productive engagement with the Department. I have flagged it and I have said this is a difficult problem. The solution to it will likely require a lot of expertise, time and negotiation. While there is some engagement with our sister representative associations, there has not been any meaningful engagement with us. It will affect reservists in a completely different way because we might potentially have two employers. I will not suggest here how it will pan out, because it is a complex and difficult issue, but when this affects us, people will ask why we did not start working on this months or years beforehand. Yet, we have flagged that. I want to put it out there that this is another issue we are deeply concerned about.

Deputy Carthy has asked about the resources available to the Office of Reserve Affairs, as well as recruitment gaps and local centres. I will pass those three questions to Mr. Richardson, if I may, because he is the expert on those areas.