John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy Wall for raising this matter. I am replying on behalf of the Minister for Defence, Deputy O'Dea, who sends his apologies for being absent.

I wish to refer to the official recognition of organisations representing military veterans and the related question of these organisations being invited to appropriate State functions, ceremonies and parades of retired Army groups. There are three national associations and organisations, representing ex-servicemen and ex-servicewomen, which are recognised by the Defence Forces and by the Department of Defence. These organisations are Óglaigh Náisiúnta na hÉireann Teoranta, ONET, more generally known under its English language title, the Organisation of National Ex-Servicemen and Women; the Irish United Nations Veterans Association, IUNVA; and the Association of Retired Commissioned Officers, ARCO.

ONET holds regular meetings and, on occasion, takes part in parades and marches. ONET is nationally organised and has 48 active branches throughout the country. Retired military personnel are encouraged to join an appropriate branch for local areas. IUNVA is another national organisation which holds regular meetings and on occasion takes part in parades and marches. ARCO is a relatively new association and has not yet taken part in parades and marches but, I understand, has a programme of regular meetings. The membership of ARCO, as its name implies, is confined to former commissioned officers.

Both ONET and IUNVA are open to former members of the Permanent Defence Force across all ranks. Understandably, a number of people would hold membership of both organisations. Representatives of ONET and IUNVA are invited, as a matter of course, to all major military parades and reviews. Representatives from both are invited, from time to time, to attend and participate in locally organised regional events at brigade and formation level. Invitations are, for example, issued in association with events and religious ceremonies commemorating deceased members of the Defence Forces.

The Department of the Taoiseach is centrally responsible for the organisation of major State functions such as the National Day of Commemoration and the recent Easter 1916 90th anniversary commemoration. Both ONET and IUNVA were invited to participate in the Easter commemoration parade and representative contingents of both organisations, exceeding 100 personnel in each case, fully participated. More generally, the Department of the Taoiseach consults the Department of Defence in respect of invitations for the Defence Forces and for ex-military personnel and veterans organisations, as may be appropriate, in the context of specific events or functions.

As regards the Kildare Town Ex-Servicemen and Women's Association and in respect of any other such local groups throughout the country, the position is that it is considered inadvisable to afford official recognition to a large number of relatively small organisations. A multiplicity of such small local organisations would be considered to be detrimental to all concerned in the long term because it would result in duplication and would dissipate human effort and resources. It would also present serious difficulties for the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces in managing the process.

The Defence Forces advise that, in their professional view, ex-servicemen and ex-servicewomen are currently very well served by the officially recognised national organisations, ONET, IUNVA and ARCO. They suggest that local groups such as the Kildare Ex-Servicemen and Women's Association may wish to consider joining ONET because they could then fully avail of the official umbrella recognition afforded to it. The association could also then avail of the substantial existing organisational and administrative infrastructure and the vast body of experience that has been developed by ONET over the course of many years.

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