Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

The fact that PDFORRA has been forced to embark on the legal proceedings to which the Minister of State refers is a scandal. There should be a settlement forthwith. Speaking of exploitation in the Defence Forces, the report to which I referred yesterday described the privates' quarters in Rathmines barracks as "Hotel Rwanda", with no hot water, broken urinals, and walls encrusted in damp. I welcome the fact that after ten years of campaigning and pressure, the Department has been forced to make changes. On "Drive Time" yesterday, however, the Minister of State suggested that anyone who joins the Irish Defence Forces does not feel they are going to get "five star". The men and women of the Defence Forces do not expect to be keeping up with the Kardashians. They do not expect five star treatment and never asked for it. They do expect accommodation which has hot water and proper toilets. I suggest that the Minister of State might cut down a bit on the glib throwaway remarks and put his energy instead into tackling scandals like this, which continue to flourish on his watch.

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