Mr. Eugene Gargan:

The Senator had a question on the R5 and the nature of the engagement and the relationship. I think the phrase “being strung along” was used. The fact that it has taken so long to deal with updates to the R5, which applies to almost everything to do with the Reserve – the Naval Service Reserve and the Army Reserve – I think is symptomatic of the overall relationship between the State and the Government through the Department to ourselves. We are the forgotten part of the Defence Forces in many ways; we are an afterthought. We do not get the priority that my colleagues in the association get and I believe we should rightly be pegged at. We have said time and again - we are on the record of saying it – we are not seeking anything that we are not entitled to. We can see the value of the Reserve Defence Forces. We can see the value in the context of a vehicle for an expression of patriotism.

On integration, I express my patriotism through my service to the State and I can see how that would be attractive to new Irish who want to integrate into communities - and there are communities. We are here a long time. Mr. Cooney mentioned wearing a beret and having that funny suntan, which I am sure Deputy Stanton had many years ago. We have all been there and you form lifelong relationships and friendships. Comradery is what it really is. It is recognising all that.

It is an almost daily struggle to try to get our interests brought to the fore – not ahead of everyone else, but just to get them dealt with in an appropriate way before the resource, which is the Reserve Defence Forces, finally extinguishes itself and dies away.

Some might say we are being strung along. I think that might be a little bit unfair on our colleagues in the Department of Defence who, for the most part, genuinely try to help and try to assist us in getting what they recognise are our valid arguments. However, for whatever reason, the resources are not there, the priority lies elsewhere and there is always some other emergency. It is a complex issue. I will not point out to any particular individuals by any means at all. That is not what we are about.

We look at the outputs. We are looking at the outcomes of all of this. If one looks at any of the statements that come from Newbridge, they generally speak in the future tense. They will say things like “We are doing something which will provide something in the future”. It is seldom they can point to a concrete and tangible example of something that has been achieved here and now. When it is and they point to something like that, it might only be in name only, for example, the establishment of the Office of Reserve Affairs, ORA. Though established - and it is very welcomed - it was a year late and it is barely able to function because the resources have not been allocated to it yet.

There was a question on integration. It was the final question and I will hand over to Mr. Richardson for that.