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

The Naval Service has eight ships. How many of them can put out to sea at any one time? My information is that because of unresolved staffing shortages, the maximum number that can put out to sea at any one time is six. The shortages in question relate to artificers and others. In other words, 25% of the Naval Service is docked at any one time due to staff shortages that the Department and the Minister of State, with whom the buck stops, have failed to resolve.

The Naval Service announced a competition for engine room artificer positions in 2012. Unable to attract suitable applicants, it ran another competition in 2013. In 2015, the direct entry process for engine room artificer vacancies was announced. Does the Minister of State not accept that the pay for this grade, and other equivalent technical positions in the Naval Service and other branches of the Defence Forces, needs to be increased? That is the key issue. It needs to be increased to a level that at least matches comparators in other areas of the public, semi-State and private sectors.

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