Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I too welcome the publishing of the report on the Commission on the Defence Forces. It is timely that we have this report before us. However, it will not be worth anything unless it is properly acted on, resourced and funded.

Fianna Fáil called for this commission to be established back in 2019. It was a key element of our manifesto coming into the February 2020 general election, which is now two years ago. The highlights that I picked out from the report are the high-level defences, the defence capabilities of our country, the fact that there has been very little investment into the Defence Forces for many decades and the organisation, culture and human resources.

The point that sticks out in my memory is from 2018, when Pope Francis visited Phoenix Park. Members of the Garda were brought in from all over the country and were billeted in hotels and guest houses in and around Phoenix Park and in north County Dublin. On the other hand, members of our Defence Forces were bivouacking in little tents, in chalets and in makeshift accommodation in the ditches and hedgerows that surround Phoenix Park. We all saw in one of the Sunday newspapers at that time a photograph that was published by a family member of one of the soldiers. It showed where her husband had camped out overnight. Just a couple of yards away from the camp, there were syringes, bits of tinfoil and drugs paraphernalia. This is where he had to sleep overnight. The juxtaposition of how our gardaí were treated that weekend with how members of our Defence Forces were treated spoke volumes in itself. It was right and just that we called everything to a halt, in order that we could look at how we remunerate these members of our Defence Forces, as well as at all the other pay and conditions that relate to them.

I am from a small village in County Clare called Meelick. We have a distinction in this area because, beyond the Curragh, we have one of the largest soldier populations in the country. This is because there was a rural housing scheme, RHO, in County Clare back in the 1980s which saw dozens and dozens of serving soldiers who had been based in Sarsfield Barracks in Limerick coming out to County Clare to rear their families. That estate is Elton Court.

Over the years, Meelick has seen a most fantastic commitment to this nation. There are members of these families across generations who are joining the Defence Forces. When I was going to school in Meelick, many of the kids had fathers who were serving in the Defence Forces. These were guys like Ken O'Brien, Alec O'Neill and Pat Hayes. Some of the guys with whom I went to school were also in the Defence Forces, such as Jason Boyce, Stephen Hayes and others like them. They have been to Chad and to Libya and they have served with pride. They have worn the Irish uniform and have served with pride time and time again. They deserve a hell of a lot better. People tell us that the life of politicians is hard, because we are always on the road and we do not get to see our families.

We have it damn easy compared to the likes of Jason Boyce and Stephen Hayes, who go out for six or seven months at a time to countries without all the home comforts, leaving their young kids at home. They are doing it for love of their nation but they get very little pay compared to other sectors. The real litmus test of this report will be the money that backs it up. We must properly remunerate these people and ensure that awful situation in the Phoenix Park in 2018 is never again replicated. We want to know that the husbands and wives who remain at home are receiving a decent wage package while their loved ones risk life and limb on peacekeeping duties in other countries.

I have the utmost respect for Deputy Berry, who comes from the ranks of our armed forces. He has an incredible CV beyond the Army as well and has upskilled and added to his CV and skill set. He is an authority on all things military and defence and we should be guided by his views on these matters as we have this discussion.

I have some comments on fixed-wing aircraft, particularly trainer jets. There was guffawing last week when elements of this report circulated in the media and there were suggestions that we might need F-14s or F-15s to protect Irish skies. I do not think it should be scoffed at so easily. We do not need a fleet of 15 or 20 fighter jets but we do need a training jet facility and I would suggest Shannon Airport or somewhere in the west of the country for that. People are tripping over themselves at the moment to criticise Vladimir Putin and what Russia is trying to do in Ukraine but there have been many incursions of Russian aircraft coming close or into Irish airspace in recent years with their "Bear" bombers and we have relied on the Royal Air Force-----

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