Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am disappointed by that. This is a very important matter. The welfare of personnel and their families affects the morale of every serving member but this goes further, as we must not forget members who have retired or who were discharged on medical grounds. I can delve into this a little deeper. In our amendment we call for the restoration of military allowances to the levels seen before the financial emergency measures in the public interest legislation, especially as the Minister of State indicated there was no underspend between 2014 and 2018. However, on 24 May 2017, he told the Seanad that money was returned and not reallocated. We can debate the matter afterwards if he wishes.

I do not have to go through all the different parts of our amendment but I will outline why the amendment should be supported. The Defence Forces have been without an in-house psychiatrist since May 2018 due to a failure to replace a retiring clinician. The clinician had been employed on a temporary basis since 2011 but apparently not enough has been done to work out the position. We have been left with unavoidable burnout, serious concerns for governance and the ability to manage risk and ensure the well-being of personnel. A recent survey illustrates the mental health difficulties in the Defence Forces that have led to increased levels of stress and very low morale among Permanent Defence Force personnel.

An interesting survey was conducted by the University of Limerick in 2017. Members of the Defence Forces described an organisation that was in crisis, coping with poor pay, declining training standards and even more people seeking to leave. In an unprecedented piece of research, 600 serving personnel spoke anonymously in focus groups to researchers from the university. The research was commissioned by the Defence Forces and the findings make grim reading. One person stated that living quarters for young recruits are best described as "Hotel Rwanda". They are not my words but the words in the research. In the survey there was almost unanimous agreement across all ranks and age profiles that the Defence Forces, comprising the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps, are at risk. Some officers in the Air Corps were told how they were kept awake at night because of concerns about whether work carried out on an aircraft left them safe to fly because so many experienced personnel had left the service. Others have said that naval personnel on Mediterranean Sea rescue missions returned traumatised and applied for leave. Some chaplains said they had given up encouraging people to stay in the uniform.

I have spoken to a number of members within the Defence Forces and they have all heard how we are taking stuff into account and everything is under consideration. They asked me to convey to the Minister of State that they are fed up of words and they want action. These again are not my words but the words of the people I represent in my area. The 2017 report indicates that personnel describe how they and their colleagues almost routinely hide signs of stress. Instead of going to the medical services provided, these personnel sought credit union loans for private mental health treatment because they would suffer if people in the Defence Forces knew they had mental health issues. I am well aware of people who were probably never even examined after serving in the Lebanon many years ago and who are now suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. A television documentary not too long ago documented the homeless ex-members of the Defence Forces. That is a sad reflection on those Defence Forces in our country.

I mentioned that the Defence Forces have been without an in-house psychiatrist since 2018 and the post still has not been filled. There does not appear to be any progress in any part of this. I again stress the very worrying aspect of mental health well-being, as I have been informed that it is now at an all-time low in the forces. I have also been informed that we are not just talking about the 8,500 serving members but also their immediate families. The direct hit from this problem could affect up to 20,000 people. I have been told that child, food and housing poverty is rife in the Defence Forces because of low wages. Childcare is too expensive for members on duty, either on exercise or at sea, and most of them have no family support because their barracks or bases are not close to their families. I completely understand the anger and concern of these members. Serving members have said to me that we are living in 2019 and not 1960.

My latest figures indicate more than 70 men and women are sleeping on our ships because they cannot afford to rent privately. We also have reports of people sleeping in cars. I am aware of that because I stood on picket lines on the far side of the naval base at Haulbowline, where I saw serving members driving out of the base late at night or early in the morning while their buddies parked at the side of the road because they did not have the price of the diesel or petrol to drive back to Wexford or wherever they live. It is a poor reflection on the Defence Forces.

These are the experiences of the people we represent. Another member is quoted as saying the Defence Forces is becoming unfit for purpose through no fault of its own but rather because of the Department of Defence and the Minister of State representing the members. This is not a personal attack on him, as I am only relaying what I have been told. There is a bigger picture than just figures and money; there is a human impact. I have spoken to many people who are currently in the Defence Forces but who feel their hands are tied behind their back. They want to be proud of the country they serve and the uniforms they wear. Nevertheless, they feel the Government has let them down and lost pride in its Defence Forces. Why should these people carry such a heavy burden when they try to do their best and provide for their families and partners? It is like shovelling snow while it is still snowing because they just cannot get to the end of it. It is a genuine concern. These people do not want to walk away from the Defence Forces and they want to work in a job of which they can be proud. All they want is to be listened to, so let us hear their voices.

If things were right, they would not have to strike. I have seen at first hand a young married couple with two young children, and the man is broken. He does his best to work but he cannot afford to provide for his family.

I refer again to the mental health issues, which I discussed with the Minister of State in a Topical Issue debate, and touched on earlier. Is it not a sad reflection on us when members of any element of our Defence Forces who want to work in it and have pride in the uniform are tongue tied when they come back from overseas duties and cannot ask for help because they could be victimised? If somebody comes back from overseas duty and mentions anything to do with mental health issues, the possibility of him or her getting a second trip overseas and the ability to earn more money is highly unlikely because the minute any mental illness is mentioned, he or she will not be permitted to hold a gun with live ammunition. That will curtail any chances they have of going on any overseas duty, peacekeeping or otherwise.

I refer to the way people have been silenced and mistreated on the issue of Lariam, which is crazy. I will relate a true story, which was a reflection on what is happening in the country. I was leaving Dublin some time last year on a coach heading for Cork. I spoke to a young fellow who was in training. He was very excited about it and spoke of the training they were getting at the time. They were building up to the final day before they could start using live rounds. He said they were all sitting inside in the mess palling around when one fellow perked up and said he was looking forward to the first day using live ammunition because he was "going to kill every single one of you". The first reaction of the other people was horror and then shock, and they had to report him regardless of whether he was serious.

There are major implications in terms of mental health issues in the Defence Forces. I ask the Minister of State to take an empathetic view and treat all these people as human and give them the respect and the voice they need. I ask all Members to support our amendment because we want to strengthen the motion. Whatever is put to the House this evening, let us strengthen it. Let us start doing the right thing for the Defence Forces, the country and the members' wives, partners and children.

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