Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I greatly welcome the Minister’s clarification that the commission will deal with pay structures and allowances. Allowances are at the heart of some of the key grievances that many of the Defence Forces personnel have. It was unfortunate that the comments were made in the Oireachtas that appeared to say the commission would not deal with HR issues.

Members of the Defence Forces in my constituency will want to know what this means for them. We need to be clear, as a Government, in outlining the timeline for that. I welcome the idea of a permanent pay commission. It is very important for all of the reasons outlined by the Minister. Will the changes in structures and allowances lead to more money in Defence Forces members' pockets at the end of this year or will they have to wait until the end of the pay commission’s deliberations? Those, I believe, are reasonable questions for the Minister.

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