Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The signing up to the Lansdowne Road agreement is welcome, as is the fact that some increases will be paid and arrears for those who earn under €30,000 but it is not enough. It does not level the playing field or restore it back. It does not deal with the excruciating and excessively poor working conditions experienced by many members of the Defence Forces. The Minister of State is beginning to tackle the implications of the failure to have the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 cover the conditions of the Defence Forces personnel. That, however, had to be dragged out of the Government. Everything is being done after the fashion and after the damage has been done. Part of the Minister of State's job should be to lead more from the front, to anticipate and respond to these problems before they become deep rooted. One of the concerns highlighted is the critical organisational deficit that has resulted in the problems in the Air Corps, the shortage of pilots and the number of vacancies there, as well as the impact this is having on the operation. This is not good enough in respect of how we treat the people who serve the State or indeed the overall service.

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