Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I think the Minister of State is probably trying to acknowledge, without using the word "crisis", that there is a crisis in recruitment and retention in the Defence Forces, including the Naval Service and Air Corps. If he used the word, he could at least start to deal with the crisis in a realistic way. Talking about recruiting specialists and the financial resources being available to bring the numbers back up to 9,500 is not looking reality in the face. I want to ask about pay policy, recognition for the Defence Forces and how the Minister of State intends dealing with the crisis in a realistic, meaningful way.

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