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

The terms of reference for the value for money review were created by my predecessor in 2009. They were prescribed by the Government led by the Deputy's party. I am satisfied that a very detailed and effective analysis was conducted of difficulties within the RDF, including how to make it more effective, how to ensure that it makes a contribution that has value in the public interest and that we use funding wisely. The number of members of the PDF, the cadre who were appointed whose sole task was effectively to mentor members of the RDF, was based on an RDF contingent membership of 9,500, a strength that was never achieved during the 14 years when the Deputy's party was the lead party in government and which resulted in a substantial waste of resources. Members of the PDF who could have been assigned to other duties were given duties that were unnecessary in the context of the real strength. The purpose of the realignment that has taken place and the recommendations for its implementation that I received from the Chief of Staff and the Secretary General in the Department of Justice, Equality and Defence are to ensure that there is value for money, that those members of the reserve who, through their community spirit, want to make a contribution are given a greater opportunity to do so and to reintegrate the reserve into the PDF so that there is a closer relationship between the two which I believe that members of the reserve substantially welcome.

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