Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The motion is worthwhile. There is definitely a crisis with pay, wages and conditions within the Defence Forces. This applies to all aspects of the Defence Forces, including the Army, Naval Service and the Air Corps. The problem is across the board. This is a retrograde step and something that needs to be addressed.

We had a discussion earlier today. One thing struck me as I listened to the debate on the motion. We had a discussion about Rockall and the inability of the Naval Service to go there or the lack of willingness of the Government to send the Naval Service there to protect Irish fishermen. Perhaps it is because the Naval Service cannot actually put any ships to sea because it does not have crew for the ships. In December, two naval ships could not go to sea because there was no crew for them. This, in turn, was because of the crisis of staffing within our services. The pay and conditions that staff have to live with within the Naval Service and the Army have been well highlighted within the House.

It is interesting to note the response of the Minister of State to the motion. In one breath he said that there were issues and problems within the service. However, he went on to say that the turnover level in 2018 was 8.1% but that the figure was for all departures, including trainees. He said the highest turnover since 2002 was seen in 2012, when the figure was 8.6%. The Minister of State said this turnover level was not out of line with other military organisations internationally, some of which had higher levels. The reasoning holds that there must be no problem. The reality is that there is a problem because the Army cannot keep sufficient numbers and the Naval Service cannot keep sufficient numbers to put ships to sea. There is a problem across the board and it needs to be addressed.

How much of this is feeding into the European militarisation agenda that this Government wants to pursue? The Government seems to be prepared to allow the pay and conditions to deteriorate significantly for our Army and Naval Service personnel. Then, at some point, the Government will restore them but will insist the restoration will have to be part of the overall military agenda taking place throughout the European Union. Is that the price we are going to have to pay to ensure our Naval Service and Army personnel are paid properly? I do not think that price would be worth it. I do not think our Army personnel would agree with that either.

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