Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)

The Defence Forces has accepted cutbacks since the White Paper was introduced. Massive savings have been made and if every other Department had accepted the same level of cutbacks, we would not be in the position we are in now. Can the Minister be clear that there will be no recruitment to the Reserve Defence Forces this year? I remind the Minister that a large number of young people went through the process, training and education only to be told that they will not be part of the reserve. They are very disillusioned with that type of planning. It is hard to explain to them why they cannot join.

Can the Minister be more specific on the issue of cadets? Young people are planning for September, when people go to college. The Minister says the programme is suspended. When will he make an announcement so that people can plan for September? The cadet force is vital for the future of our Defence Forces. They are the future leaders of our Defence Forces. Morale is low enough in the Defence Forces. It will be a major blow to the Defence Forces if the Minister implements the policy.

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