Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is unfortunate the Defence Forces representative organisations and workers in the Defence Forces were stonewalled for so long. I seek an update on the heads of the proposed Bill and ask when it will progress through the House. The Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO, recently indicated that piecemeal amendments to Defence Forces regulations based on the outcome of High Court proceedings does not give confidence to its members. This is reflected in the position of the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association, PDFORRA, as well. Why did it take so long for the Government to change its approach to this? Will the Minister of State confirm that it is now accepted by the Government that it will not rely on an exclusion clause contained in the legislation but it will bring members of the Defence Forces fully within the scope of the Act, subject to the application of derogations permitted by the working time directive?

There does not seem to be any clarity, apart from the changes made to regulations. When will legislation be brought through the House and when will the Government give certainty to members of the Defence Forces and their organisations that they will be part of an inclusive process around the implementation of the working time directive?

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