John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am not sure whether the Minister has the statistics to hand as to how many members participate in the transition to civilian life courses. That provision is critical but what the Minister has outlined does not go far enough when we consider the supports that, rightly, have been built around employees in other sectors, such as the Bord na Móna workers. We need to look at something like that for members of the Defence Forces, who still have a huge amount to give to the State. My preference, which I am sure is shared by everyone, is to ensure we create the conditions to keep people in the Defence Forces for as long as possible. That must be the primary objective but there will be reasons members want to leave. There are people hitting retirement at 50 years of age and even younger who still have a great deal to offer.

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