Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the ICTU affiliation issue, I must be careful in what I say because there is a legal action potentially under way in relation to that. What we are trying to do is reflect the fact that people who serve in the Defence Forces are, in many ways, part of a unique service. They take an oath to the State and commit to not getting involved in industrial action, so they are in a different category.

We need to make sure we put structures in place to recognise that and to ensure that people serving in the Defence Forces are protected in that context. There are different ways of doing that. PDFORRA would contend that the best way of protecting the interests of the Defence Forces is through affiliation with ICTU, particularly around public sector pay negotiations and so on, but there are different views on whether that is the best way to protect the interests of Defence Forces personnel. The Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO, takes a different view, for example. We are looking at both. I have an open mind. I have not ruled out anything. It is not as straightforward as some people maintain.

On the second issue, we spoke about that a lot earlier in some of the previous questions. We have a review coming close to an end on retirement age within the Defence Forces. I hope to be able to bring those recommendations soon.

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