Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I believe the fundamental problem is that the Chief of Staff, Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, is not the Accounting Officer for the Defence Forces. He does not oversee the budget for the recruitment and, especially, retention of critical specialised members of the Defence Forces. The Accounting Officer responsible for the budget and expenditure of the Defence Forces, including recruitment and retention, is the Secretary General of the Department of Defence, Maurice Quinn, along with his assistant secretary, Robert Mooney. Mr. Mooney has day-to-day responsibility for strategic HR in the Defence Forces, a newly authorised appointment. He was promoted in 2017. Mr. Quinn and Mr. Mooney have not delivered for the Defence Forces.

Why are the Defence Forces different from An Garda Síochána where the Garda Commissioner is the Accounting Officer? The Defence Forces Chief of Staff, Mark Mellett, cannot spend without referring back to the Department and seeking approval. Surely the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces is best placed to understand the needs of his force. We cannot have a two-tier security service where the gardaí have better pay and conditions. It was reported in The Irish Timesyesterday that retired Brigadier General Ger Aherne described the relationship between the Defence Forces and the Department as "toxic, broken, dysfunctional and dangerous". This is the reality and any of the Minister of State's words today cannot hide this fact. What is the Government doing to rectify this?

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