Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In light of what Deputy Mattie McGrath said, in particular, I reiterate that the Naval Service is a good employer and a good place to work. Our Defence Forces seek to pay and reward their staff well for the difficult and demanding work they do. I acknowledge, however, as the Public Service Pay Commission also did, that because of the strength of earnings growth across our economy at the moment and the increasing levels of employment - as acknowledged only today, with more than 2.3 million people at work - we need to plan carefully for how we can ensure our Defence Forces have the right number of personnel at their disposal. On the questions posed, we believe that 240 people are likely to qualify and apply for this tax credit. Regarding the cost, we anticipate that will be between €300,000 and €500,000.

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