Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

This is essentially the same issue as that raised by Deputy Ó Fearghaíl. I note the Minister acknowledged there is a problem with pay in the Defence Forces but his defence is that he did not know about it or is now looking at it. The facts speak for themselves. The level of pay in the Defence Forces does not meet a threshold of decency in a large number of cases and has to be supplemented by the social welfare system. He is correct that the situation has been aggravated by the austerity cutbacks on public sector workers over the past several years but the roots of it lie in the fact that traditionally members of the Defence Forces have been paid less than their peers in other areas. That has to be addressed.

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