Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to pledge my full support for the Minister in the face of a pathetic exercise in political opportunism by the Fianna Fáil Party. Almost all Opposition Deputies who attacked the Minister in recent weeks commenced their contributions with an acknowledgment that he is a hard-working and reforming Minister before dismissing these qualities as if they did not matter. As a Deputy from Kildare South, a constituency that includes the Curragh, I recall that local people were seriously concerned when the Government came to power because it decided to merge the defence and justice portfolios in one Department. People feared this would result in the downgrading of the defence portfolio. Since then, however, various Defence Force personnel have indicated to me on numerous occasions that this is an excellent Minister who has been seen more often in the Curragh than many of his predecessors whose only brief was justice. I congratulate the Minister on sticking to the pledge to maintain Defence Force strength at 9,500. In the face of significant austerity measures and cuts in every area, the Minister stuck to his word at the Cabinet table and adhered to the Fine Gael promise to maintain Defence Force strength.

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