Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will put a number of questions to the Minister of State and give him an opportunity to respond. Before doing so, I join him and colleagues from across the House in recognising the huge work that members of the Defence Forces have done during the Covid-19 crisis, from the establishment of the early testing centres on naval vessels to their participation in contact tracing and their involvement across the country in the community call. We are all incredibly grateful for the steadfast work of members of the Defence Forces and their efforts at this time.

It is always worth noting the unique role that the Irish Defence Forces have played, particularly in matters of peacekeeping over 60 years, their involvement in Mediterranean rescue missions in recent years and their participation in UN peacekeeping duties in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Lebanon. Our Defence Forces are unique. Their uniqueness is recognised internationally. It is recognised by the United Nations. The impartiality that members of the Irish Defence Forces display in the conflict zones in which they serve is hugely valued.

We are well aware of the challenges that are faced by our Defence Forces, many of which have been raised by previous speakers. I refer to retention and recruitment owing to low pay and the fact that members of the Defence Forces are not permitted to be members of trade unions, which creates issues for them in terms of a lack of support in the context of their participation in public pay agreements.

In mid-April, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade began urging Irish citizens to return home, where possible, before the strictest of the Covid-19 restrictions in Ireland and abroad came into place. It was around the same time that the Irish peacekeeping troops in Lebanon were informed that rotations were being suspended to prevent the spread of the virus. Understandably, this led to a great deal of uncertainty and stress for members of the Defence Forces and their families. It is welcome the Minister of State's confirmation that those serving in Lebanon will be allowed to return to Ireland later this month. However, there is a lack of clarity on a number of issues. I hope the Minister of State will be able to provide that clarity today. First, can he clarify the quarantine requirements for those who are returning. Will he outline the level of contact troops will be able to have with families during the quarantine period, particularly those who choose to quarantine in a barracks? Second, I understand members of the Defence Forces who are being rotated out in Lebanon will be required to complete the full 14-day quarantine. Can the Minister of State clarify what procedures will be put in place should a member of the Defence Forces test positive with Covid-19 during this quarantine period?

For members of the Defence Forces who are due to be deployed overseas and have been delayed because of the extension of the original rotation, there will be a consequent delay in receipt of the overseas peace support allowance. Can the Minister of State advise if there will be any additional financial supports put in place to mitigate the loss of income that those people and their families will incur?

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We are all aware that allowance and that extra income is extremely important to many members of the Defence Forces and their families.

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