Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State engages regularly with the two representative bodies the Deputy has just described and hears loudly and clearly not only the concerns but sometimes the objections members of the Defence Forces raise with us. We take them very seriously, as we take the pride in the Defence Forces. I will again say what I said to Deputy Dara Calleary. The Defence Forces are the bedrock which underpins the safety and security of both society and the nation. I cannot overemphasise that point which is evidently true. That is why the Government has taken significant actions in the past few years, through improvements in pay under the Lansdowne Road agreement; further increases over the lifetime of the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020; the Public Service Pay Commission being tasked with providing a retention and recruitment action plan to make sure the concerns that have been raised by those who remain in the Defence Forces will be addressed; and recruitment to bring numbers which have been depleted by 470, as Deputy Dara Calleary said, back up to make sure we will have a full complement of men and women who provide for the security and safety of people both in this country and abroad. The Minister of State will accept the submission from the organisers of today's parade. We will look at it very carefully and respond once the submission's objectives or recommendations have been analysed.

There is no delay in making the submission. It is being worked on and, when it is finished, will be presented to the body. I will have to come back to the Deputy on the working time directive because I do not have a response about it. It is fundamental that every single man, woman and child in this country has pride in the Defence Forces and what they do to protect peace and provide for the safety and security of Irish people both here and abroad. We have had difficulties with pay in the past few years but not without good reason. Every single public and civil servant had his or her pay cut for a number of years because of the economic crash. Thankfully, we are in a position where we are able to unravel the cuts and bring forward new pay and stability agreements for the years ahead. It is because the economy is recovering that we can do this and it is because we value and want to retain personnel in the Defence Forces that we have an action plan for retention and recruitment to ensure they will be at full capacity.

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