Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On the subject of whether units are operating at half their capacity in respect of the officer corps, the Minister of State has said that it is a difficult number to quantify. It is not difficult. We are talking about small enough numbers. The Chief of Staff and the Department of Defence should be able to quantify if units have sufficient officer numbers or if they do not. It is well documented and Deputies have asked questions on the topic previously about the number of officers in each unit. We have had these figures back from the Minister of State's Department. It is well documented that we are operating way below the required capacity.

The reason the Minister of State is losing people is that the corps is severely depleted. Morale is quite low. Retention is not a priority for his Department it seems. The disbandment of the Western Brigade was a massive mistake which should be rectified. Pay and conditions, not just of the officer cohort but also of the enlisted men and women, are appalling. Officers are telling me that they want the men and women they command to have better pay and conditions. They cannot get time off. There are no officers to step in and take over if somebody wants to book leave. Basic pay and conditions are at issue. They are hanging on waiting for the next cadet class to come through because they are so stretched. When the Minister of State says it is a matter for the Chief of Staff to operate within the number of officers he has, that is not the case. We expect a certain level of service. If we do not have the resources and manpower needed, that level of service cannot be supplied.

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