Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

In the opening paragraph of his opening statement, the Minister of State stated "Let me be very clear that I have no difficulty in acknowledging that we face some HR challenges."

If there is an award at the end of the year for the understatement of the year in the Dáil, that would be a contender. There is a crisis of pay, of conditions and of morale in the Defence Forces. Some 84% of Defence Force personnel earn less than the national average annual earnings. According to recent reports, 50 personnel were sleeping on ships at Haulbowline. Could they afford the rents which private landlords were charging down the road? It seems not. Did the Department provide an accommodation block for them nearby? No, it did not. There is talk that one might be provided, although I suspect personnel will have to wait for that for some time.

The Minister of State has made play of his challenge to figures that were quoted relating to the number of Defence Force personnel who draw down working family payment because their wages are so low. I suspect one reason why that figure has reduced is because people have thrown over the job. They could not afford to stay in the job and were forced to walk away from the service. Neither have they been replaced. Nearly three people each day walked away from the Defence Forces during April.

The Public Service Pay Commission has made a recommendation. The Minister of State is aware of its details, as are his Cabinet colleagues. The Minister of State has not revealed the details of the recommendation to the Dáil. He and the Government are keeping their cards very close to their chests on this one. According to press reports, there is a nervousness around Cabinet about the reaction of Defence Forces personnel to these proposals as they stand. Maybe we will find out the recommendations next week and the Government's remarks on them. It is the key issue exercising the minds of Defence Forces personnel this week.

It is rumoured that the Public Service Pay Commission has recommended the restoration of at least some military allowances but the devil will be in the detail.

Are they to be restored to pre-Haddington Road agreement rates or are they to be restored to the rates in place before the financial emergency measures in the public interest, FEMPI, legislation? This is an important point. Pre-Haddington Road rates go back to 2013 while pre-FEMPI rates go back to 2009. They should be restored to pre-FEMPI rates dating from before 2009.

Is the recommendation for the restoration of some or all allowances? It should not be for only some allowances but for all allowances because many of the allowances are by no means a king's ransom. Let us consider the military service allowance and the patrol duty allowance. If the patrol duty allowance was to be increased by 10%, what would it be? It would be a little over €5 per day. After tax, what would that be? It would be €3 per day. The figure for the military service allowance would be similar or perhaps even lower. In any case it is there or thereabouts. All allowances should be restored to the pre-2009 level.

Even if that were done, it would still be inadequate. The Minister of State knows that, I know it and the House knows it. This is because the cost of living has increased. In some respects it has skyrocketed over the course of the past ten years. This includes the cost of transport for Defence Forces personnel who have to travel long distances to get to work. In some cases this is because their division has been moved halfway across the country. The cost of accommodation has skyrocketed. This has forced personnel to sleep on board the ships in Haulbowline, not to mention the number of people in the services, for which the Minister of State is responsible, who are sleeping on couches or sleeping in cars tonight because they cannot afford more than that.

We need restoration of all allowances to pre-2009 levels. On top of that, there needs to be a significant increase in the rates pay for Defence Forces personnel. That is the only way in which justice can be delivered for the personnel. That is the only way the Minister of State can avert the crisis of three people walking away every day.

The respect and loyalty protest organised in Cork some weeks back was big. I attended it. I expected it to be big but I had not expected it to be as big as it was. If the Government and the Minister of State do not deliver justice, what size will the respect and loyalty protest be in Galway on 10 August? I suspect it will be bigger again.

The question of associate membership of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions for PDFORRA and RACO has been raised. That would be a step forward and welcomed by this side of the House, but it would still be less than full trade union membership. Full trade union membership would allow for the right to strike. This right has been won by defence forces personnel in other countries. We would not be the first country in the world to do it and we would not be breaking new ground. I strongly suspect that if the Minister of State does not move on the issues of pay, conditions and the crisis in morale in the system, then the demand for full trade union rights, including the right to strike, will emerge from the ranks in the period ahead.

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