Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The first step in solving a problem is to recognise one exists. The Minister of State has not realised we have a problem on our hands. I had hoped to hear an admission or acknowledgement from him that the Government recognises the scale and impact of the issues facing members of the Defence Forces and their families. I come from Kilkenny, a town with a military barracks, and I have met members of the Defence Forces and their families. Their situation is dire with regard to take-home pay and other benefits. Over the summer, I met a former member of the Defence Forces in Leinster House. His wife was suffering from cancer and he should have been at home looking after her. He explained to me that he had promised his fellow soldiers that he would do everything he could on retirement to lobby politicians and turn the tide for those who serve.

Does the Minister accept that morale is very low within the Defence Forces, that pay and conditions of service are very poor and that there is a retention crisis? Will he go into further detail in his supplementary response on his plans to address these issues in the context of the impending budget?

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