Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

We have improved the conditions of the Reserve. There is better training and it is now better organised, has better clothing and equipment. As the Deputy knows, there is a proposal in the White Paper to have an integrated element in the Reserve and for it to be integrated with the Reserve Defence Forces. So far, recruitment to that has proved disappointing and only 300 people have been trained as integrated reservists. However, we are learning some lessons from the fact that it has not been as successful as was envisaged. Originally it was envisaged that ultimately about 2,500 people would be in the integrated Reserve. That ambitious objective will not be reached within the lifetime of the White Paper, which is to the end of next year. The military has informed me that it has learned from the failure to move the initiative more quickly and that it will take appropriate actions to improve recruitment to the integrated reserve.

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