Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

My question was very specifically about members of our Defence Forces, particularly privates, corporals and perhaps, given how prices are escalating, sergeants. I do not know whether the Minister is familiar with what people in the Defence Forces earn, but it is not a huge amount. The Minister did not once mention ordinary soldiers and how they are supposed to afford current market rents or purchase prices. Last year rents increased by over 7%, with slightly smaller increases in the Dublin region. I am not aware of members of the Army having received a wage increase which even closely matched those numbers. The increases the members enjoyed was probably somewhere around 2% to 3.5%. How are they supposed to make ends meet?

The Minister's cost rental price, as announced by the South Dublin County Council recently, is €1,200 a month. How can an Army corporal or private with a family, perhaps two children and a spouse, afford a rent like that? It is gouging.

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