Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

As I said, our emphasis at the moment is to prevent people of foreign and ethnic origin from being discriminated against when they apply to join the Defence Forces. I take Deputy Sherlock's point about the efforts being made by the Garda Síochána, but the Garda is a different type of organisation from the Defence Forces. Whereas we need gardaí who can relate to people in ethnic communities, who can speak their language and know their customs, the same considerations do not apply to the Army. If, as occasionally happens, the Army needs people with certain language skills and knowledge of certain cultures, that is an operational matter for the chief of staff. He has assured me that the Army can get all the people it needs in that regard through the ordinary recruitment process.

I take on board what the Garda has done, but the Army faces a different situation. The development of a multi-ethnic society presents challenges for us all, including the Defence Forces. For the moment, we will observe what lessons can be learned from the policies that the Garda Síochána is pursuing. However, I am advised by those who have operational charge for such matters that there is currently no need for a specific recruitment campaign to increase the percentage of non-nationals in the Army.

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