Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this opportunity to speak on the Bill, which I support. It is important that we put it into law as soon as possible. We must make sure our troops are protected. I note that under the Bill a captain from another jurisdiction, by agreement, can give an instruction. That is okay but we must make sure we keep our unique identity. Irish troops have gone all over the world. They have carved out an unusual record because they are recognised everywhere they go as peacekeepers. We need to make sure we keep this focus as peacekeepers.

The Minister has heard all evening that we do not know how Brexit will go. We all hope for the best but it is not looking good at present. We need to make sure the numbers are there in the Army because we do not know what we will face over the next six months. We must make sure the resources it will need are there. We do not know. Numbers have been depleted over a number of years and there has been a lot of discontent. This could be our hour of need, particularly with the way the Brits are going on at present. We have to make sure we have the resources and the numbers. Athlone and Finner Camp are very close to the Border and are accessible.

A difficult decision was taken a number of years ago. Promises were made on the 4th Western Brigade but unfortunately nothing seems to have developed. Athlone is in the middle of Ireland and resources need to be put in there. The current and legacy issues need to be resolved and the promises and assurances made on numbers should be adhered to. I cannot understand - perhaps the Minister will be able to explain it to me - why we see Army vehicles bringing personnel from one part of the country to another even though there is a barracks closer to them. I cannot for the life of me understand the criss-crossing of the country when we have personnel in various areas. We must also recognise the work that has been done by the Defence Forces at times of flooding with pumps used and people who are in trouble rescued.

With regard to the air ambulance, I remember sitting down in 2016 with the Government when there was an agreement on doing a review of the air ambulance service. The experts recommended that at least two air ambulances would be required. Every club with a football pitch in the country, with the support of the sports capital grant, has made a good job of making sure there are no wires overhead. Given the instruments on board an air ambulance, I cannot understand how we do not have co-ordinates that can be punched in to make sure they can be flown at night. With regard to the golden hour after a stroke and heart attacks, in parts of Roscommon, east Galway, Mayo and elsewhere in the country there is a deficit in how quickly an ambulance can get to people. This hour is crucial to make sure somebody's life is saved.

Three or four months ago, I listened with interest to a discussion on the problems with staffing the air ambulance. I was aware, as was the former Minister of State with responsibility for defence, of people who had more flying hours than most people in the country who had left the Air Corps and sought to return after a number of years. They had a serious amount of experience but their attempts to get back in to the Air Corps went on and on. On the one hand, we were saying we had a shortage but, on the other, we were not bringing people in or putting through the paperwork. Allegedly, paperwork was lost three or four times. We need to make sure that we are proactive and have the number of people we need to fly the air ambulances.

Wages and conditions are vital. These personnel do not have the luxury many other groups have of being able to go out on strike. They have a representative body. We need to make sure they are treated right, can earn a genuine living and are not struggling to rear families. We must realise these people make huge sacrifices. They leave Ireland for six months to represent the country in other places.

I concur with Deputy Naughten on the point he made about contact tracing. If there is a lull whereby a number of people in the Defence Forces could do another job to help out their country at a time of need, I do not think they would have any problem doing this and we need to look at these issues. On the way here today, I received a phone call with regard to a youngster who was tested a week ago but a result has not been received. The father of this person is self-employed and is about to lose a job because he is self-isolating. Self-employed people do not often have the choices that others do, particularly those in the building game. A brickie who has promised to do a job cannot be left for a full week. Last Wednesday, the child was tested but the results are not yet back today. The family is doing the right thing for the country by making sure they are in isolation but the results are not being given. This is why it would help if we thought outside the box. There may be opportunities in contact tracing.

In general, I support the Bill and I will not talk about it all night.

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