Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am happy to speak on this motion regarding Ireland’s participation in European Defence Agency projects. There is no doubt that Europe and, indeed, this country are under increased threats from the rise of militant Islamic organisations and groups organising cyber-crime attacks. To that extent, we need to consider practical ways to increase co-operation among member states without creating an overly militarised culture. It is important we deal with such issues without getting sucked into the military machine. One of the things which many people in Europe are afraid of is that, in our haste to defend ourselves, we run the risk of creating something akin to a European state army. We can never emphasise this enough because we do not want it. We have been a neutral country and we respect our neutrality, despite what may be happening with different issues relating to the Middle East.

While the motion is quite technical, I would raise a matter of deep concern related to how we extend our involvement with European defence projects. I have concerns that this is one area where we must use the limited resources we have to strengthen the quality of life for the men and woman who serve in the Defence Forces on this island. In fact, questions about the Army were raised with the Taoiseach on the Order of Business today. We know that poverty rates in the Garda are real and the same applies to the Defence Forces, many of whose members are struggling to survive. Before we consider European supports, we must look after those at home. It should not be like the situation with the veterans in the United States who have been neglected. The members of the Defence Forces have served all over the world on peacekeeping missions. We had a wonderful establishment in Clonmel before the last Government closed that excellent barracks.

In 2015 the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces said there is no reason soldiers, sailors or air crew should be sleeping in cars. The problem is that they are, in many cases. The Minister and the Government need to smell the coffee. This is because of the remuneration they receive and the lack of subsistence. Lieutenant-General Conor O'Boyle was responding to a claim by PDFORRA at its annual conference that a small number of enlisted personnel were forced to do this because they could not afford to drive home after work. It is true. With the closure of barracks in places like Clonmel, they now have to go to Kilkenny, Cork or further afield. PDFORRA has said that accommodation costs €2,500 a year, money that those who stay in their cars simply do not have. PDFORRA has also claimed that more than 20% of enlisted personnel are receiving family income supplement payments, which is a staggering figure. These are the kinds of issues we need to think about before we overextend our Defence Forces, which are already stretched.

Those are my sentiments. While cyber crime is a huge threat and we must lend any support we can to try to deal with it and fend off those attacks, we need to have a modern, well supported and well resourced Defence Forces. For that, we need morale to be kept at a high level but it is clearly not at a high level. There are huge issues which I am dealing with every day of the week, such as transfers from barracks and family issues, and personnel find it very hard to get any understanding or appreciation of their family situations.

I suggest we make haste slowly before we get involved in any of these issues. We must remember how we have always maintained our neutral stance. We need to have more support and respect for ex-Army veterans and those currently serving in the Army.

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