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

This displays the complete failure by the Government to develop a retention policy. The Defence Forces are gaining two pilots and losing more than ten because they have no retention policy. The Minister of State is not making it attractive enough to stay in the Defence Forces, including the Air Corps. That is the core issue. The Government is exacerbating underlying difficulties with morale and retention. Does the Minister of State not believe it is unusual that there is a bizarre application process - a kind of South American or Venezuelan recommissioning process - whereby applicants go to the Minister, who then passes on the application? No one applies to re-enter the health service through the Minister for Health. No one applies to re-enter the Garda through the Minister for Justice and Equality, nor does one apply to enter the Civil Service through the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. Clarity is needed on the protocol and procedure.

The representative associations have serious concerns about this, and the Minister of State knows that because they wrote to him about it recently. He has failed to respond properly to their letter of March 2018 in which they outlined multiple issues and concerns. Their difficulties were not dealt with at that stage. It is on this basis that I raise my query. We do not know the advertisement process, protocols or procedures. It is unusual that potential applicants would talk to the Minister of State about a re-entry process. He needs to publish and clarify what this recommissioning is about, how it is designed and what agreement exists with the representative associations.

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