Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am interested in that question.

There is one more issue I want to touch on briefly. On the issue of the most senior officer in the Reserve, I am of the view that we should be able to get at least one brigadier general and a couple of colonels out of the Reserve. If we were serious about it and regarded the organisation as a peer equal to the PDF, I do not see any reason why there could not be an RDF brigadier in charge. The witnesses spoke of the membership of the Reserve unit within the Defence Forces and within the Department. What would be so wrong with having a pair of red tabs on an RDF member in that situation?

The last one I have is about the call-up for duty. The PDF is stretched. There are soldiers doing duties two and three times a week. How much utilisation of RDF members has there been to carry out normal barracks duties and normal security duties? Has there been a take-up there? If there is, please tell me the duty allowance is not withheld if you are up on a weekend doing guard duty or acting as an orderly officer or something like that. That is it and I have to go and take a phone call. I will come back.