Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the statement made a moment ago by the Minister. It was important and timely. The Minister is right to underscore the report of the commission as a watershed. It is a pivotal moment. For many years, morale in the Defence Forces has been poor. Members of the Defence Forces feel badly done by, under-resourced, badly paid and in receipt of poor accommodation. A lot of hope is now vested in this process and it must meet those aspirations and expectations. I welcome the Minister setting out what he wants to do with it.

On the timeline for the report, it was to be published in December and then in January. I am concerned about the timeline now being referenced by the Minister to the effect that it will be some time before the final report is available to him, at which point he will have intergovernmental discussions about it. When will we have the opportunity to see what the future of Defence Forces will look like and, more importantly, when will Defence Forces personnel see that?

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