Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

In the answers that have been given since I arrived, there has been talk about consultation and reflection. I am afraid that the consultation side is dismal. The Department does not really consult with either PDFORRA or RACO, and if it does, from what I can see, it is only tokenism. I speak in particular of head 25 and the restriction on the director of military prosecutions. The adjudicator has already told the Department that it has not put any reasonable argument forward. Who is the Department talking to? Clearly, both of the representative bodies are unhappy with head 25, in particular with respect to membership of the representative bodies.

I have been in trade unionism for 25 years. I have been the president of a trade union. I have never heard of a situation where somebody, because of the role they play, cannot be represented by the organisation. Let us take the master of the Rotunda, who is the top man or woman, as the case may be. He or she has to make independent decisions about staff all day, every day. That does not prevent them from being a member of the IMO. Where is this coming from and what is the agenda behind it in terms of refusing commissioned officers permission to be members of their representative body?