David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)

Does the number of 7,500 the Minister for Defence mentioned include the active and inactive list and will he give a breakdown of the active and inactive list of members and the ranks in each case?

What is the role of the reserve and what has it been doing to fulfil this role in the past number of years? Does the Minister agree that one of the functions of the reserve has been to give an outlet to young men, in particular, and now young women, who have had an interest in military affairs for a number of years and that it has proven effective in that regard? It will now be abandoned because of the embargo?

What are his views on the danger of the reserve going into decline because it is an organisation that depends on continual membership and, with rolling membership and numbers in decline, it might become ineffective? How many members of the reserve will resign or retire by the end of the year?

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