Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Does the Minister have or the Government have any sense of shame about the conditions of exploitation and downright poverty for many members of the Defence Forces? Over the Christmas period, many Defence Forces families were reliant on food hampers to get by. Sarah Walsh of the Wives and Partners of the Defence Forces stated the families live in poverty and suffer from food, income, fuel and child poverty, that many of them can only dream of owning their homes and that this month some of them are facing uncertainty about their homes while others face homelessness. She also stated that she knows these people. The treatment of ordinary members of the Defence Forces is scandalous. They have very little confidence that the Public Service Pay Commission process will deliver, particularly given the delays Deputy Ó Snodaigh has pointed out. Why should they believe anything will happen here? What is the attitude of the Minister of State? Does he believe the circumstances facing them need to change?

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