Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Does the Minister of State accept that there is a problem with retention as a result of low pay and low morale? In answering another question earlier the Minister of State tried to equate the enthusiasm of applicants and raw recruits to being the morale of the entire Defence Forces. That is something he cannot do. Is he aware that from 2013, over 2,200 members of the Defence Forces have either retired or dropped out and that that figure could have been much higher but for the challenging economy outside the Defence Forces and the lack of job opportunities? Will he agree that unless action is taken, he will see an accelerated rate of Defence Forces members retiring early or dropping out? Unless the Minister of State starts to address the pay and conditions, and the retention problem, not only will he not achieve the 9,500 figure he mentioned but it will be much lower than it is at present.

Is the Minister of State aware that almost 750 Defence Forces personnel are surviving on wages below the living wage of €24,500 and that the number of those dependent on the family income supplement, FIS, to provide for their families who have declared thus far has doubled in the past year to 124?

See this speech in context