Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important issue. I compliment Deputy Lisa Chambers on tabling this important motion.

As someone who comes from the constituency of Cavan-Monaghan, the Government closed four provincial military barracks, namely, the facilities in Cavan, Mullingar, Clonmel and Castlebar. The majority of the 540 staff affected were Army personnel who were relocated to other facilities further afield. Of the affected personnel, 136 were based in O’Neill Army Barracks in County Cavan. They were redeployed to Athlone following the announcement. At the time the move by the Government caused huge angst, worry and upheaval for local families. There was as a result a significant downside. The decision resulted in turmoil and relocation, uncertainty and confusion for members of the Defence Forces. Such tensions and family displacements are not conducive to achieving optimum operational viability, certainty and good morale.

The Defence Forces have been an easy target for cost-cutting, with perhaps their unreserved loyalty and professionalism being taken advantage of. Policy has become a matter of fitting the Defence Forces into a particular budget envelope. We all agree that the single greatest asset of the Defence Forces is their personnel, yet the Defence Forces are facing huge difficulties in retaining and recruiting sufficient personnel. They are seriously below strength and it is time to rebuild significantly. The decline in recent years has left them with just 9,000 personnel, 430 below the agreed strength. The exit from the Defence Forces, at all ranks, is ongoing, with the number running at between 40 and 50 a month.

In the light of Brexit, possibly the single biggest issue facing the Government in the history of the state, it is time to give the Department of Defence the focus and importance it deserves. The decision in March 2011 to assign the defence portfolio as a subsidiary role to the Minister for Justice and Equality indicated an essential lack of respect for the position. While it was not unreasonable to assign it with another Cabinet portfolio, to include it with the Department of Justice and Equality, one of the busiest Departments, was regressive.

I come from a Border constituency where Brexit and all of the concerns associated with it are to the forefront of everyone’s mind, including checkpoints, a need for security or worse and a return to smuggling and criminality in the Border region. Ireland needs to recommit to the Defence Forces. Fianna Fáil believes we should seek to increase the strength of the Defence Forces to over 10,000 in the coming year. We also believe it is important to retain what we have. The State’s defence policy, its implementation and resourcing, must be appropriate. For our part, Fianna Fáil is committed to a defence policy that is measured, fit for purpose, appropriately resourced and which allows the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces to move forward with confidence in an ever-changing world, with emerging threats such as those I have outlined. In tabling the motion Deputy Lisa Chambers is acting on the belief the Defence Forces are of critical importance to both the State and Irish society, not to mention the Border region. Fianna Fáil consistently raised this issue between 2011 and 2014. It is welcome that the Minister for Defence is also not the Minister for Justice and Equality. However, we believe we must move forward and commit to the restoration of defence as a lead portfolio in the Cabinet. The Minister with day-to-day responsibility for defence policy should be a fully-fledged Cabinet Minister, not a Minister of State, as is the case. That would be a very clear affirmation of the value the State must place on the Defence Forces.

See this speech in context