Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for giving us the opportunity to make a number of points on this issue. I also thank our lead spokesperson, Deputy Lisa Chambers, for sharing time.

Shutting down the 4th Western Brigade was a retrograde step. Now 45% of duties carried out in Dublin are carried out by troops from Finner Camp in County Donegal, just north of Sligo, and from Dundalk. That involves personnel in places like Sligo where many Army personnel live getting up in the morning, driving to Finner Camp, collecting their gear, driving all the way to Dublin to carry out their duties and then returning again. It defies logic. Much more than that, as we, rightly, obsess here about the impact of a hard border as a result of Brexit, we have neglected the fact that as a result of the closing down of the 4th Western Brigade, the Government, the State and the Oireachtas have lost all corporate knowledge of the Border. The personnel based on it were always the eyes and ears of the nation and carried back the necessary information to us. There is obviously a difficult situation in the North and potential issues arise as a result of Brexit. As Deputy Lisa Chambers outlined, it defied logic, therefore, to shut down the brigade. The two-brigade system has not resulted in real savings but taken fundamentally from the capabilities of the State. We have the ridiculous situation where 45% of duties in Dublin are carried out by troops from the parts of the country I mentioned.

I will make a point about the many thousands who served on the Border during the years. Many medals have been handed out in the past year, rightly, to various people who were deserving of them. Everybody who served on the Border should be entitled to receive a Border service medal on the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising. I would like the Minister of State to consider and respond to this suggestion. I am sure it would not cost very much, but its value in terms of the State's acknowledgement of the incredible service given by Army families throughout the entire nation who served on the Border would certainly be priceless.

The Air Corps was mentioned briefly by my colleague. I have a concern about value for money. It costs about €60 million to run the Air Corps annually, including payroll costs. The CHC is costing us €52 million a year for the lease of five aircraft. In effect, there are two overheads. A thorough independent audit should be conducted of the value for money achieved in that regard. It seems there is an awful lot we require in terms of staff and so on, notwithstanding what Deputy Lisa Chambers said about the need for positions to be filled. There are 32 aircraft and the cost is €60 million, including payroll costs, yet we are dishing out €52 million to CHC which does a very good job. We all sympathise following the terrible tragedy.

There has been substantial commentary in the media in recent times on a bilateral air defence agreement between us and the British. I am very concerned about it because I do not recall the issue coming before the Oireachtas since the agreement c0ame into being. I believe it was renewed in August. It is in contravention of Article 15.6 of the Constitution which states only the Oireachtas can make such a move. I ask the Minister of State to check the position and respond to the House in order that we can bring up the matter on the Order of Business another day, if necessary. It was supposed to have been signed by civil servants in the Departments of Defence, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Irish Aviation Authority and on the other side by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the RAF. The Oireachtas is entitled to know what exactly is going on because the agreement allows British aircraft to enter Irish airspace. While there may be some Deputies and Senators in Fine Gael who would like to see Ireland rejoin the Commonwealth, it will not happen as long as this member of Fianna Fáil is party to a confidence and supply agreement. I would like the Minister of State to inform the House of just what is going on in that regard.

See this speech in context