Mr. Se?n Clancy:

The Senator asked about the Reserve and whether people leaving the Defence Forces can serve in it. The second line Reserve is open to everyone and anybody who has served can go into it but it is not the same as joining the first-line Reserve. The first line Reserve is open to officers and existed through 1988 and beyond but has been in abeyance for some time. We are looking at two potential courses of action on this specific issue. One is in the form of a future Reserve Defence Force with the traditional Reserve serving alongside members of the Permanent Defence Forces who have left, which would bring the two together, while the second is to retain the distinction between the first-line Reserve and the second line Reserve, with the former comprising those who have served in the Permanent Defence Forces previously while being opened to enlisted members and officers, with re-engagement in that regard. These issues are being engaged on through our office of Reserve affairs and, by extension, the regeneration plan we have for that.