Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join my colleagues in thanking all of the members of the Defence Forces community for their efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic. We have a strong military community in counties Sligo and Donegal, with Finner Camp in south Donegal as well as the Army barracks in my home town of Boyle. The latter has been there since the foundation of the State and before. I was a member of the FCA in the early 1980s and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

We went to Finner Camp and Dunree in Donegal. When the FCA upskilled to the RDF in the early 1980s, people like me who thoroughly enjoyed themselves were not called back. The 90th anniversary of the 1916 Rising took place in 2006 and at that time, Bertie Ahern held a showcase in O'Connell Street involving the Army and Air Corps. I was hugely impressed to see fine young men and women who were very professional. Fourteen years later, it is great to see professional, well-turned-out and, hopefully, well-mobilised but mostly well-paid members because the Defence Forces can sometimes be neglected and sometimes we need to show they are the people who are defending our State.

Does the Minister of State believe the Permanent Defence Force could have played a more prominent role in providing assistance to An Garda Síochána during the Covid-19 outbreak? I know Civil Defence played a significant role.

Deputy Berry mentioned military aircraft on a previous occasion, and it was appropriate to raise it with the Taoiseach. I am not taking from Deputy Berry, who spoke on the last occasion, but I thought it was ironic that we were one of the only countries in Europe that did not have its own military aircraft. I think the Taoiseach rightly said that he would investigate this. Given the serious difficulties we have seen in efforts to repatriate Irish citizens, I was very taken aback. I believe that serious consideration will now be given to the expansion of Air Corps capabilities and I thank Deputy Berry for raising that issue because it was one I did not fully understand. I thank the Minister of State and all members of the Defence Forces for their service and dedication. As political representatives, we should do everything we can to assist them in choosing that vocation in the defence of our country.

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