Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The public sees a figure of 65. I have looked back through the allowances, including the years they were introduced, and it strikes me that they have done a disservice to people working in the Army. There is a perception that there is a myriad of allowances when in fact the military service allowance applies to virtually everyone in the Army. It has been there since 1979, over 30 years, and clearly that is core pay. As regards the public perception of Army pay structures, would it not make more sense to find another method without these large numbers of allowances? Some things are deemed to be core pay, while others are allowances.