John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. Again, the language there is not reassuring. The Minister would like to bring clarity. It is essential that clarity is brought to this issue before the year end for the 700 members of the Defence Forces but, more broadly than that, there is a crisis within our Defence Forces which we have mentioned many times and the Minister is acutely aware of it. We are 1,000 personnel below the levels we should be at. To force up to 700 members out of the Defence Forces next year, on top of the 600 who leave every year, would see a further reduction of up to 1,400 members and a greatly depleted force. This cohort we are talking about are primarily corporals and sergeants, who are the backbone of the Defence Forces. It does not make economic sense. In fact, it makes no sense whatsoever. They are medically and physically fit, and they need to be retained within the Defence Forces. We need to get a commitment from the Minister that he will provide clarity before the year end but also that the economically right decision is made for the future of our Defence Forces.

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