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

What are the Minister of State's intentions to address manning level issues in the event that the pay commission does not make credible and functional recommendations to address the recruitment and retention matters in the Defence Forces? We know from the PDFORRA conference this week how a large number of soldiers, sailors and the Air Corps personnel are buying themselves out of the Defence Forces because they are unhappy with pay and conditions. Looking at their hours, many are working at rates below the national minimum wage and there are still breaches of the working time directive. The Chief of Staff will have made a plea to the Public Service Pay Commission and he clearly does not have the same hope that the Minister does in giving time and space to the commission. What will the Minister of State do if the commission does not progress solutions to the serious recruitment and retention issues we have?

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