Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)

This is a fundamental question. Obviously with a review of structures against a background of a reduction of 500 in personnel complement it means that some posts will be suppressed or not filled, which will have an impact on promotions. Will the completion of the review have a bearing on the date for the announcement of recruitment into the armed forces generally? While we are considering the structures at a higher level, obviously there are adjustments at a lower level. Until all that is clear, is there a possibility that this will unduly delay the recruitment process?

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