Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will move on to the Department's position and the Minister's position. The Tánaiste's intervention was obviously welcome. It is a pity it took RDFRA's appearance here this morning but it is worthwhile coming. If that could even get moving because sometimes, these things move at glacial pace. It is worthwhile and a welcome step forward. Hopefully, that can bear fruit.

We received a document from the Department which was a letter of instruction. It sets out the situation with pay. It stated in 2023, the Defence Forces issued a letter of instruction relating to such payments. The letter of instruction was regrettably not consistent with the regulations and resulted in payments being made for activities for which there was no provision in the Defence Forces remuneration or sanction for payment. It basically says this was an error. I will not read the whole document as I do not have the time to do it. I will drop it up to the Cathaoirleach in a moment but this is the important bit. It states the Defence Forces are considering the position and if they wish to extend the number of paid activities for the RDF, any case made will be considered by the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence. This is the normal procedure. While work is ongoing, the Defence Forces are working on possible solutions for members of the RDF. In that letter which I only received this morning, it seems to say they are trying to do something in the interim.

In terms of how we can help, the committee might make representations to the Department of public expenditure because, as one of the other speakers said, it holds the purse strings. The cake is only so big and I know that. Obviously, funding has to come from somewhere and it cannot be pulled out of the sky. We are talking about a very small amount of money here for the service that is being provided. I raised the Reserve before because I feel it is an area we have not given due attention or credit to as a State and a country. I said this in the witnesses' absence so I am telling them what I think about it. As a committee, it would be useful for us to make representations to both Departments and to the Tánaiste on the witnesses' behalf, if the committee is agreeable to that.