Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The recommendations in the report encompass all aspects of the Reserve, including future roles for the Reserve. There is no suggestion that the Reserve will be abolished. I can give assurances in that regard.

The Deputy must appreciate that it would be premature of me to engage in discussions at this point, pending completion of the VFM process which deals with recommendations and the appropriate response to them. There will be an opportunity to discuss all aspects of the report, its recommendations and future plans when it is published. We will have a full discussion on that. It is important that we identify the future role of the Reserve and where expenditure should be applied with regard to it.

The nominal membership of the Reserve is substantially greater than the number who engage in Reserve training and are functioning members of the Reserve. In the light of the reorganisation of the Defence Forces from three brigades to two and given the resource issues, there is a need to ensure that the resources made available to the Reserve are used efficiently and in the best interest of the country, as opposed to being spent with no assessment of the benefit accruing from it. We must identify the roles the Reserve can play and how its training facilitates it in playing those roles.

I expect, very shortly, to be in a position to publish the report. I hope we will discuss it at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality where we can have a more free-flowing conversation than during Question Time.

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