Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

What is the price for our environment? Just three missions from one F-35 fighter jet would result in more carbon emissions than that of the entire fleet of Bus Éireann for a year. I did not hear the Green Party raise any points about this in the debate. That is what I mean when I talked about soft points.

This is the price that the Minister, Deputy Coveney, would ask us to consider as he aims to beef up the military in preparation for increased co-operation with NATO. If €3 billion a year on the Defence Forces is a complete non-runner, then LOA 2's €1.5 billion a year is not a price I would be prepared to pay either for increased expenditure on armaments. What I favour is an increase in spending to end the scourge of low pay that afflicts the Defence Forces and makes it so difficult to recruit and to retain staff. All of the rest should go on social projects, not least health and housing in our society.

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