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

It is not a case of broad sweeping conclusions. The criteria operated by the Department of Social Protection provide that if an individual's income falls below a certain level, social welfare steps in to bring it to a level of decency. One need only look at the pay rates in the Defence Forces to know why this support is particularly necessary in this context. Irish Defence Forces personnel have always been poorly paid. I was brought up in a Defence Forces family and I know these long-standing problems. However, the problem has been aggravated by the cuts and the 20% loss of earnings since 2009. That has consequences. Unless the review is prepared to examine the basic pay rates for Defence Forces personnel, the problem will persist. The Minister does not appear willing to budge in that regard.

The issue of people sleeping in cars is linked to barracks closures but it is also linked to the undermining of residential accommodation to which, according to the Minister, people are referred. I know of people in the Curragh who are not affected by barracks closures but who cannot find residential accommodation on the Curragh because of the way it has deteriorated and the number of families who have been forced out of residential accommodation due to Defence Forces policy. The Minister has a duty of care to Defence Forces personnel and these pressing issues have to be addressed.

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