Mr. Cian O'Mearain:

Yes, there have been very positive experiences of it. Essentially, Permanent Defence Force officers who were retiring were going into the first-line Reserve and coming back every year for a number of weeks. For a long time it was how we managed summer leave periods. The first-line Reserve came back to smooth out that pinch point. During the financial crisis it was just dropped. There was no change in regulation; just no sanction to bring people up any more. We now have three officers in the Naval Service who are on the first-line Reserve. One of the projects on the strategic framework - the delivery of the Naval Service Reserve motor launches - is being managed on a day-to-day basis by a first-line Reserve officer who is called up on an ad hocbasis. When a task comes in, we phone him and he comes and does the work. It is recorded in the personnel management system, and it works.