David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The problem is that we have already seen this. It has been leaked. We are reading in the papers. We have a fair sense of what is being proposed and discussed at Cabinet. We have very senior current and former members of the Defence Forces saying it is not enough. These are really genuine concerns that members of the Defence Forces have. It is soul-destroying for someone doing a job as important as being in the Naval Service or the Army or any of the Defence Forces not to be able to pay the bills and not to have even a living wage. Yesterday, the technical group that calculates the living wage produced an increased figure. Again yesterday in this House, the Taoiseach turned his face against introducing a living wage, even in the public sector. He is still saying to these workers that he is not prepared to pay them what is necessary to put food on the table, pay their rent or mortgage, pay for their children going to school or meet the cost of living. It is very clear that because of this, members of the Defence Forces are leaving in their droves. That is the message the Government is giving them. It is too little, too late and an awful lot more needs to be done. I am asking the Minister again if she will commit to ensuring that members of the Defence Forces get the just pay increases they need, full restoration of all cuts that were taken and sustainable wages. The Minister did not answer the question in respect of full collective bargaining rights. They have the same right as anybody else to be represented in terms of their working conditions.

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