Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I should add that from a report received from the UN authorities on the ground and from the information available, there is no indication there was a deliberate targeting of the UN on that occasion, contrary to some reports. We welcome these final remarks and we welcome the fact that Irish troops were not targeted. I have accepted the Minister's assertions that he has fixed on the figure of 9,500 personnel. I hope I have not been naïvely supporting the Minister in his assertion that he is determined to maintain these numbers. I was concerned that RACO raised the question about the model used in the past, whereby the sale of barracks was used to fund the equipment of the Defence Forces. Colonel Brian O'Keeffe pointed out during the biennial RACO conference that the force could not continue to cannibalise itself in order to ensure equipment was provided. The organisation's president, Captain Ian Harrington said that some officers based close to the old brigade headquarters in Athlone had based their families in places like Galway and Donegal and found themselves transferred, as a result the Minister's reorganisation, to Dublin. They are suffering real practical and logistical difficulties as a result.

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