Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that response from the Minister. I am conscious of the clock, but my final point is that the specialised instructors allowance was introduced as a result of the work of an independent commission, the Doyle commission, and subsequent reports in the late 2000s. It was brought in for the good reason of addressing issues of burn-out and exhaustion in the training institutions of the Defence Forces. If it was good enough in the late 2000s, then it is good enough now. Given there is a staff retention crisis now, a specialised instructors allowance is even more important than ever. I reiterate that if the Minister, or the Secretaries General of the Departments of Defence or Public Expenditure and Reform, can do anything, that would be hugely appreciated and would have a disproportionately positive effect on the ground in respect of staff retention.

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