Mr. Conor King:

I thank the Deputy for the question. Timely consultation is hugely important in the industrial relations area, particularly in a disciplined, uniformed service like the Defence Forces that has restricted rights in the industrial relations sphere. You will not see us taking industrial action or going on strike, so we basically have to talk our way into our rights. Therefore, we have to be very strong in demanding and insisting on those rights as enshrined under Defence Forces regulation. We have disappointingly seen time and again, particularly in recent years, what is almost lip service paid to the right of consultation under Defence Forces regulation. That is the Minister's regulation, as the Deputy is surely aware, and is written by the Department of Defence. In the Defence (Amendment) Act 2024, we had the fortunate privilege to be in front of the joint committee on defence, foreign affairs and trade, as it was at the time. That was again only necessary because we were not consulted and there were serious changes afoot under defence forces regulations and under the Defence Act to comment on matters of service that affected our members. When I say that lessons were not learned, it is clear that there was so much debate and, I would say, controversy about that Bill that even Uachtarán na hÉireann decided there was a potential question over its constitutionality and referred it to the Council of State. We are firm in our belief that had consultation and engagement taken place in a more timely fashion in advance of the pre-legislative scrutiny phase, that would never have been necessary.