Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Others have mentioned the siege of Jadotville. I had the honour of meeting Commandant Quinlan in the audiovisual room here last year when we were shown a promotion for the film. Many of those who attended the screening are still aggrieved that we do not take into account that the people who serve in our Defence Forces take immense pride in their job and sometimes it goes down through the family generations. Having watched the film, I think the people there were let down, by the United Nations and our Government and it should never have happened.

I welcome this Bill. Members have described it as being about housekeeping, tidying up and nailing down responsibilities and duties, which is very positive. Many have risked their lives on UN missions and one can go back further. Friends and relations of mine have served in the Defence Forces. I wish to raise the supports for people who have served their country but who, once their time was up and they left the system, were left behind. I refer to post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD. I know two people who only realised in the past 18 months that they were suffering from it, having left the service ten or 12 years earlier. We need to think of that when we talk about housekeeping and investing in our Defence Forces, that is, the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps.

Pay has been mentioned. It is very difficult to go into a bank and cash thanks. During the previous Dáil, I tabled parliamentary questions on the subject. It is alarming how many Defence Force families claim family income supplement. It must make things very difficult.

An Garda Síochána stopped at a car on the Ringaskiddy side of the naval base and noticed a young man sleeping in his car. The man was from Wexford and he could not go home because he was unable to put diesel in his car. That is the reality happening in some parts of our Defence Forces. It must be looked at. Throwing money at issues might not be the answer to everything but it is important that people are put on a living wage.

The Minister will be very familiar with Collins Barracks and Haulbowline naval base. People there have given tremendous service and given so much to the country, but I have spoken to many of them in recent years and they feel let down and aggrieved. Sinn Féin has a Bill on the Garda Síochána and Defence Forces which would allow them to negotiate for their rights, and I think we are the only party to have this. Without union representation, they have no say.

The Defence Forces share problems of recruitment and retention with the HSE. This is addressed in the Bill which allows former members to return. There must be acknowledgement of highly skilled people and knowledge is honourable, but it is a question of balance. People who wear the uniform of the country come to me daily, and where they should be very proud, they struggle to put food on the table. It is difficult for people to serve when they feel they are not being valued. This has to be addressed.

I raise the matter of how people are really treated in the Defence Forces and how things are reported. I was spokesperson on defence in the previous Dáil. Unfortunately, I had to submit questions to the Defence Forces on two suicides which were reported as such to me but which are recorded as negligent discharge in the Defence Forces. The Defence Forces simply reply that the coroner decides whether a case was suicide. It is about getting clarity.

I began by noting that the Bill was about tidying up, proper housekeeping, responsibility and accountability. I hope that many of the issues I have raised here will be addressed in future.

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